Escaflowne II: The Journey to the Mystic Moon
by Evil StormSister
Summary: [Completed 08.07.06] It has been 10 years since Hitomi has been on Gaea. But, with a vision, Van is sent to Earth in hopes to finding out what is going to happen and how to stop it. The adventure of Escaflowne continues...
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of Escaflowne…If I did, that series would have continued.

**A/N: **Yeah, this is my fourth story…The only one that does not have anything to do with Yu-Gi-Oh! Uh, yeah, I LOVE ESCA. So, enjoy!

**Chapter One**

"Alright, here's the key." The landlord mumbled, handing it to the new tenant. "If ya got anything to complain about, talk to me…Okay?"

"Yes. Not to worry." She smiled politely, even though she couldn't stand the sight of him.

"Enjoy." The short man hobbled off, grumbling about something. _That guy is always complaining about something…_The new tenant thought mildly. _Well…Home sweet home, I presume…_

Pulling her blonde past-shoulder length hair out of her face and into a pony-tail, Hitomi prepared herself to lift all her luggage into the small apartment she had just rented. _Jeeze! This stuff is heavy!_ Maneuvering herself into the apartment, she soon dropped all of her things onto the floor next to the coat hanger……and also on her foot.

"OW!" She shouted, holding her throbbing toes. _Why does that always happen! _Hitomi stopped to remember the time that happened back when her and Yukari shared a dorm-room at University. _Those times seem so far away……_Then, it was funny; now, it wasn't because it really hurt!

Sighing loudly and pushing the bangs out of her face, she scanned the room. _Okay, not bad…_It was simple, but appropriate. Kitchen was to the right of the entrance door with a small fridge and oven…..._Wow. A dishwasher too! Cool. _Just in front of the kitchen was where a few chairs and her couch sat…._And what a view._ Hitomi smiled dreamily. Two large glass doors separated her from the balcony on the other side.

A clock hung from the wall adjacent to the doors. _Seven o'clock? Maybe I'll unpack tomorrow…_Hitomi thought. _I'm tired…and I just don't feel like it! _She tried to think of something else to justify her laziness but nothing else came. She picked up the box which she hoped contained her clothes and toiletries and brought it to the bed.

Refolding all the tossed clothes inside, she placed them in the cabinet and the drawers next to the bed. She then proceeded to check out the rest of her new apartment. _This is so…cool! Ah! My first home away from my parents! It feels so weird to be on my own, but so good too! _The bathroom was alright, but she made a note to clean it up later.

Remembering what her mother used to tell her, 'Don't put off what you can do today for tomorrow', she decided to at least make the bed and get her kitchen set up in her new place.

"Okay…Now, which box holds the plates?"

* * *

"Lord Van, are you ill?"

A long pause of thought. "No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"You have been stowed away in your room for most of the day…" The servant responded.

"Oh…I'm just thinking." Replied the King plainly. "There is a lot to think about."

"Is there anything I can get for you? A drink, perhaps?" The servant offered.

"No. That's alright." _What I want, you can not obtain for me…_

"Good night then, your majesty." The servant bowed and left the room quietly, and Van returned to his thoughts. _I haven't thought about her in some time…I wonder…I wonder what she has become. _

He sat up, ran a hand through his hair and went towards the window. Staring at the Mystic Moon, he looked at it with sadness. _That is where she is…I haven't seen her in so long…But, why do I think about her now? I was fine yesterday_…Something at the corner of his eye sparkled and he turned his head towards it.  
_**The pendant  
**_It was reflecting the light from the Mystic Moon and the stars…._What was that? _Van could have sworn he saw the pendant give light of its own. _No…It's only reflecting light…That's all…_He stared at the pendant intently, waiting for it to correct his thoughts.

But it didn't.

He sighed at his foolishness. _That thing hasn't glowed since I last made contact with Hitomi…And who knows how long ago that was…Five years? Maybe seven? Does she know?_ Van walked over to the pendant and paused. He placed his hand over it hesitantly, expecting some great power to possess him when he did touch it.

But nothing happened.

He clutched the pendant in his bare hand and watched it roll around in the crevices found in his palm. For a second, he thought of throwing it out the window…that way he would never have to think about her again. After all, this pendant was the only thing that connected her to him. It was the only thing that made him remember her after a long day.

Van stared at the open window again. Moving his hand containing the pendant behind his head and with a fierce determination of hurling it over the housetops he-  
_**I love you Van  
**_-stayed motionless. _No. No, I can't. I can't do that to her. _Van's face lost all aggression and returned his arm to its normal position. Opening his clutched hand, the pendant shined-  
_**Glowed  
**_-in the pale light.

With a shaky hand he placed the pendant back on the table where he always kept it. Away from all prying eyes…Away from even his own. _If I don't remember her, if nothing reminds me, I won't care. I doubt she cares…_

Removing his clothes, he walked slowly, sadly towards his bed. Lying down on his side, facing the table, he pulled the sheets over his head. _That thing never glows anyway…That means she doesn't want or need me at all…_

To unseen eyes……

It glowed silently….

Soon, the King of the newly restored Fanelia entered a state of restless sleep.

* * *

Hitomi plopped on her bed, exhausted. She had done more than what she had originally planned…She put away everything; all the boxes were empty, the washroom was clean, the kitchen was in order and her bed was made. _Ugh…What time is it now? _Before her tired eyes could register the time on her digital clock, the numbers faded to black.

And she fell asleep as well.

Under her closed eyelids….

It glowed silently….

_The pendant…_

A bright pink light flooded Hitomi's vision. _The pendant…What is it doing? _Then, she heard it too.  
_**Lub-Dub  
**__**Lub-Dub  
**__A heartbeat…Mine? _Hitomi's tired state was trying its hardest to interpret what was going on. She listened closely to the pattern of her heartbeat and tried to match it to the pendant's…  
_**I love you too, Hitomi, with all my heart…  
**_"Van…" Hitomi whispered. She listened for the pendant again…_Yes, Van…_Hitomi looked forward and saw the pendant, looking the same way it looked all those years ago, glowing on the floor just a few feet in front of her.  
_**Lub-Dub  
**__**Lub-Dub  
**__Van is calling me…Why? Van, what's wrong? Van? _Hitomi's thoughts got nervous. _He hasn't called me in so long…What happened? Van! What's wrong!_

Hitomi started to walk towards the glowing pendant slowly. _Van? Please, answer me…What's wrong? _The pendant continued to beat steadily at the pace of Van's heart at rest. She got close enough to the pendant so that she was standing right in front of it. _What is wrong? I haven't had dreams-  
__**Visions  
**__-like this in a long time…What's going on?_

The pendant began to beat faster and faster; Hitomi's green eyes were fixated on the quickening pulse of the pendant. _Wait…This pulse matches my own…_Hitomi suddenly felt her own heart keeping up with the pendant's. _But…How could it…?_

It kept going faster, the pulse erratic. _This is impossible! A heart can't beat this fast…_

And yet, her own heart was keeping up.

_Van…What's wrong! Tell me, please! I'm scared! _Hitomi looked around the dark abyss, only to find the pendant. _What is this place? Where is it!_

It kept going faster and faster.

Hitomi could not deny that the pendant's heartbeat was hers. _Where is Van's pulse!_

Then…

It stopped.

The glow of the pendant vanished in a flash as did the pulse.

And suddenly, Hitomi was shrouded in darkness….She felt faint and lightheaded…She felt the ground under her feet crack and fall apart making her fall deeper into the darkness…Silent, she fell backwards but with hopes that someone-  
_**The angel  
**_-would swoop down and save her, like he always did.

But she continued to fall.

And no angel was there to grab her.

* * *

"HITOMI!" Van shouted as his eyes opened. Breathing fast, heart pounding, he tried to make sense of what he just saw. _Hitomi…She was…dead? No, impossible. She can't be dead…She fainted…She was falling…But why couldn't I save her?_

He tried to remember what held him back, but nothing came to mind. _I watched her fall. How could I do that?_

Sitting up in bed, he brought his knees to his chest in an effort to control his breathing. _Calm down. It was just a dream-  
__**Vision  
**__-and it means nothing…  
__**But why did it feel so real?  
**_Van looked up and wondered that last thought. _She was there…In trouble…Why couldn't I help her? _He threw the sheets off and walked towards the pendant and stared at it.

It sparkled. _It's mocking me. It wants me to do something. It's trying to tell me something. The pendant was there, in the dream…Hitomi was trying to touch it…But then, she fainted. _Van was confused. _What is it trying to tell me?_

It glowed.

Van stepped back and watched it again. _No way…That can't be…It hasn't glowed since_

It glowed again.

He hastily picked up the pendant and concentrated. _Hitomi? Hitomi! What's wrong! _

A soft, but present voice whispered to him, _Help me…_

"Hitomi!" Van tried to connect with her again, but it was so long ago…He couldn't get a good connection. _What's wrong! _He asked again.

_Falling…_Came the response.

"Oh God…" Van realized that Hitomi was in trouble…Something was definitely wrong. _But why now? Nothing this serious could be so sudden!...Could it? _

_Van…_

Looking out the window, Van saw the Mystic Moon. _I'm coming…  
__**And the angel flew**_

* * *

Hitomi shot out of bed and gasped loudly. _Oh my God…What was that! _Her thoughts were going a mile a minute, as was her heartbeat. She remembered seeing the pendant…and then, falling…  
_**But no angel was there to save her**_

Suddenly, the darkness of her unfamiliar apartment got to her. She ran towards the balcony, open and shut the door quickly and rested her head on the doorframe, out of breath. The cool night air welcomed her and she smiled, looking at the view of the few cars and streetlights below her.

She looked up towards the moon and sighed. "What did that mean?" Walking towards the edge of the balcony, Hitomi fell on her knees and placed her head in her hands on the ledge. _Why? Why does this come now? ThatThat dream…What's going on with Van? What's going on with that pendant…Oh God, why now! Just when my life was starting to get normal…_

Hitomi paused. _My life was never normal. After I met Van…_She stopped herself again. _Why am I thinking like this! He probably doesn't even remember you! He's a King! He's probably married to some girl by now…Van's twenty...twenty-two now…_

Returning her gaze to the moon, she felt a pain of loneliness strike her. _I wish to see the Earth and the moon in the sky again…_She remembered all the night skies she saw back in the days when she was on Gaea. _They were so beautiful…_

Focusing her green eyes on one of the craters on the moon, she stared. _Hey, that crater looks like an eye…_She sighed and blinked and on bringing her eyes back to the moon, the eye was gone. _Must have been a figment of my imagination…_

Standing back up, Hitomi looked at the scenery again. Glancing at a streetlamp, she noticed that…_Why is the light pink?_ Blinking several times, she realized afterward that it was nothing.

_Why is this happening now! Why all of a sudden! _She groaned and rubbed her arms for warmth. _Something is going to happen…Something…_Her thoughts paused as her gaze rested on a white feather falling from the sky.

_What? _Her eyes widened. She reached out to catch it and she did. It was solid in her hand. It didn't disappear like the other times Van came to see her.  
_**I love you  
**_As she looked at the feather, she noticed another one….and another one…All of which did not vanish.  
_**The angel  
**__No…This can't…No way…_Hitomi was happy and scared at the same time. _It can't be Van…It can't be…He doesn't remember you! He hasn't talked to you…_More and more beautiful white feathers fell from the sky.  
_**I think your wings are beautiful Van  
**__No…No way…_She turned her head to find out where the feathers were coming from…Looking up and towards the roof of the apartment complex, she saw…_Van?_

"Van!" She shouted. _It's him! It has to be him! _But then she remembered all the times she thought it was him, and it wasn't. She waited, but there was no response. And her heart fell. "Van?" She called out in a smaller voice towards the rooftop.

No response.

Just more white feathers.

"VAN!" Hitomi cried. Craning her neck to see, she saw a silhouette…and the tips of two magnificent wings near the edge of the roof. "VAN!" Hitomi ran back inside the apartment and headed towards the stairs. Taking them two at a time, she made it to the rooftop breathing hard. _Please, don't let this fade away…_

She opened the door, and underneath the light of the moon….

…he was there.

"Van…?" She whispered, seeing him. _Please, don't let this fade away…_

He stood up carefully and walked over towards her, his wings sending feathers everywhere with every step. "Hitomi…" He breathed.

They both stood on the roof for a long time.

And the pendant hanging around Van's neck glowed.

* * *

TA-DA! How's that for an opening chapter!

Wow. This is the first time I've written anything other than Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfics…How was it? I always wanted to see Van on Earth….Poor guy is gonna have a hard time adapting….:D Funniess ensures! But be aware…this story is gonna get dark…

Anyway, I LOVE Esca. and this is how I would continue it from the place where they left off…If you couldn't tell, it's been about 10 years since Hitomi went to Gaea and although they have kept each other dear in their hearts, they have drifted away….

Now, I'm not sure exactly who the bad guy is gonna be, so I'm gonna need some time to write this one….This scene (with the freakish dream included) was a thought that I had to get down so I could get started! Hope you stay tuned!

Oh yeah, that whole thing with the alternate thought (in the bold and italics) was an idea that I read in a book and I loved it, so I wanted to take it out for a spin!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of Escaflowne…If I did, that series would have continued.

**To everyone who reviewed: **Thank you SO much! At first, I thought no one would read it, but you proved me wrong! I'm so happy! Thanks! Now, I have to write!

**Macky: **Yes, Merle will probably be in this story…But she'll be coming later…**Imigo: **Yeah, I guess Hitomi did dye her hair blonde…I meant to put 'dirty blonde hair' but I forgot to change it when I was editing…But, uh, it's supposed to be dirty blonde…00

**Chapter Two**

_He's here…He's really here…_Hitomi's mind softly repeated as she stared into his wine-coloured eyes. _He's really here…_Even though she wanted to believe this so badly, she still had doubt. _All those times I thought he was there and he wasn't…All those times he disappeared…How do I know this isn't another dream?_

Van saw the sadness in her eyes. "Hitomi, what's wrong?"

She looked at him with tears. "How do I know this isn't another dream?"

He stared back at her and smiled. "I can prove that to you." Coming closer, he leaned in towards her face. Hitomi's eyes widened slightly at his actions but did nothing. There noses were almost touching…She could feel his breath on her face while hers hitched in her throat…Her heart was pounding…Van came closer…

…and pinched her arm.

"Hey! What was that for?" Hitomi asked, surprised. _I thought he was going to..._ A blush crept to her face as she rubbed her arm.

"If you were in a dream, you would not have felt that." He smiled.

Hitomi gave him a short glare, but then smiled. "So, your really here?" She raised her arm to touch him. Just about to, she stopped. She was afraid.  
_**All those times he disappeared  
**_She was afraid to touch him and then let her hand fall right through him.

Van saw her hesitation and placed a hand on hers. He guided it towards his heart. He was solid. He was alive. He did not vanish or waver in thin air like he usually did in her dreams. Moving her fingers over his chest and arms again and again the doubt cleared. _He's really here! Oh my gosh…_ "You're really here!"

She laughed, smiled and jumped up to hug him. He was solid; she didn't fall through. Van hugged her back tightly, matching the strength of her hug. He draped his wings around them both for protection; away from prying eyes. "Van…" Tears of happiness fell from her eyes and onto him. "I-I never thought I'd see you again.."

Van nodded sadly. "I thought, after all these years, you would forget…"

Hitomi's head was buried in his shoulder, but he heard her say, "Never." They stayed in the embrace for some time while the feathers surrounded them and continued to float in the air.

Finally, Hitomi broke the silence. Something about this reunion was bothering her. "Van?"

"Yes?"

"How did you…get here?"

Van looked up to the sky but did not respond. _It's just like I fell from the sky…_

"What made you come?"

He stopped.  
_**The vision  
**__How do I tell her? _"I…Hitomi, I had a dream…" Van paused again, carefully choosing his words. He continued slowly. "I had a dream that something happened to you. I was worried and I…"

Her ears perked up at the words 'a dream.' "Van, what happened in the dream?"

"The pendant was there and you…you…kept falling…" He responded, getting quieter and quieter.  
_**And no angel was there to save her  
**_"I had a dream too." Hitomi stated after a few moments of silence. "The same one." Her eyes fell on the glowing pendant. "I kept falling and falling…"

"I'm sorry." Van interrupted.

"What?"

"I'm sorry that I could not save you."

"Van…" Hitomi felt horrible. _Great, I've turned this happy moment into a depressing one…Good one, Hitomi…_ "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said…"

"Hitomi, I don't know how I came here…But I know why; I worried about you. I was afraid of losing you and being helpless to watch you fall. I wanted to protect you in case…in case…something happens to you." Van said, answering Hitomi's initial question.

_Something is going to happen…_Hitomi's mind scolded. _Something isn't right…_Pushing away all the dark thoughts, Hitomi looked at Van again. "Come on. Let's go inside." Breaking the long hug, she pulled him along towards the door to get off of the roof.

Noticing the width of the door and the width of his wings, Van quickly shed all of his feathers.  
_**And not one of them disappeared**_

* * *

Surrounded by darkness, a sinister voice whispered, "Something is going to happen, Hitomi…You have no idea…"

Holding out its hand, a pendant fell from its grasp. It swayed back and forth with a perfect connection to time. The pendant glowed-  
_**Pulsed  
**-_steadily to their heartbeats. And the creature smiled. _No matter how strong or how smart, when you attack the heart, nothing is left…and the body along with the mind is yours to mold…_

The pendant in its grasp lit the shadows with a deviant black light.

And the creature disappeared.

* * *

"Van, stay quiet…alright?" Hitomi whispered to him as they walked down the stairs. _How am I gonna explain this to anyone if people see me? They know that I came here with no roommate…_

"Alright." He whispered back, looking at the strange walls. _The Mystic Moon looks so different from my home…_Van reached out to touch one of the walls. _It isn't stone or wood…what is this material? _

"Van. Come on!" Hitomi said. She thought he was walking behind her but realized that he had stopped at the head of the stairs. He snapped out of his thoughts and jumped over most of the stairs. "I don't want you getting lost, alright?"

"Yes. I'm sorry…What substance makes the walls of this place?" He asked, curious.

"It's called cement." Hitomi mentally smacked herself. _He doesn't know what that stuff is! Oh, this is gonna be weird. _She quickly made an easier answer for Van to understand."Uh…I mean, it's like stones, but made in a liquid kind of state…."

"I see." He replied. Hitomi sighed out of relief. _How am I supposed to explain all the other things on the planet if he asks? Ugh! This is gonna be difficult…_

She opened the door to get out of the stairwell and put a finger to her mouth to remind Van to keep as quiet as possible. Checking to make sure no one was in the hallway, she grabbed on to his arm and led him to her apartment. Opening the door, pushing Van inside and then locking the door only took a minute or so.

_Good. No one saw us. _Hitomi sighed out of relief and looked at Van. He was currently staring at everything in her apartment, from the ceiling to the floor. "Van?"

"Your home is full of alien things to me. But they are beautiful." He responded, still in his awe state. _There are so many things I want to know…The Mystic Moon is more intricate and interesting than I thought. _

"Uh, thank you." Hitomi smiled. Looking at the clock, it read 3:54 a.m. _Hmm. There are still a few hours of darkness until sunrise…Good, that means I can sleep a few hours. _The concept of sleep sounded comforting to her, but scared her at the same time. _What if I have another...? What if he is gone when I…? _Her thoughts never finished.

"Hitomi?" Van asked, looking at her.

"Sorry…I'm just a little tired…" She said slowly.

"Maybe you should get some rest." He suggested, seeing her bed with the tossed sheets. "After all, it has been an eventful night…"

"Yeah…I-I guess so." Hitomi made her way to the bed and watched Van remove his shoes, his belt with the sword attached to it, and a small dagger and placed them in a corner. He made his way to the sofa, cautiously, and sat down on it.

"This is nice." He smiled as he sank into the soft, springy cushions. "What is this called?"

"A sofa. It's like a chair, but longer." Hitomi explained, using another simile. She smiled at his curiosity and at his cuteness. "You can get some rest on that…It's very comfortable…" He grabbed the pillow on the opposite side, the small blanket on the back of the 'sofa' and proceeded to lie down for sleep.

"Good night Hitomi…" Van whispered.

She watched him for a little while longer, until his eyelids were still. _Well, at least one of us will sleep tonight…_Hitomi thought sadly. She was afraid to return to that dream where the pendant's heartbeat stopped. She was afraid that when she woke up, the sofa would be empty…

…and this whole night would have been a dream.

_Van looks exactly the same as he did when I first met him…_She thought dreamily. His hair was still black and all over his face. His eyes were still big and gentle. He had gotten more muscular and tanned, but the kind soul she remembered was still there. Van had not turned into a ruthless-  
_**Evil  
**-_cold, bitter King. She reminded herself to ask him about Fanelia and how it is doing…And about Merle and Allen…and Celena…and…All the memories flooded back at once. _I wonder how they are…_Van was the only link she had to her friends on the other planet.

_He's here…He's really here…_She smiled with tears in her eyes. _Everything we promised has come true. He told me that he would find a way to make it back to me…I told him that we would see each other again…Everything turned out okay…Everything is…normal…_

The tears fell from her eyes and she tried to silence her sobs. _No…It's not normal…Something's wrong…He's never been able to come to Earth before, why now? What circumstances? But he's here…He doesn't know why he's here either…We have to figure this out...I don't want to lose him so suddenly again…Oh God…Just give me a few days with him...That's all I ask for! Just a few days to be with him; to catch up on everything…Just to understand what is going on!…Just to be with him…  
__**I don't want you to fade away**_

Hitomi became overwhelmed by everything. The man she left has returned…and she didn't want him to leave. _Something's not right…He can't leave…Not by morning…Don't fade away…Don't be a dream…_

"Hitomi? Are you alright?" Van asked. _She's crying…_

She didn't even notice that he had awaked to the sounds of her sadness and that he was by her side. "Hitomi?" He asked again, rubbing her shoulders.

"Van…Do you promise to stay with me tonight?" Hitomi asked, without looking at him. "Do you promise to be here when I wake up…?" She could not finish because she began to cry.

"Hitomi, of course." He replied quickly, trying to reassure her that he would not leave. "Come on. Lie down with me on the sofa."

Shaken up by the whole night, Hitomi walked over to the sofa slowly. Lying down on his side, Van pulled Hitomi close to him and placed the blanket over them. Holding on to her hands, he waited for her to fall asleep.

When she would stir, he would repeat to her in her ear, "I'm still here. I'm not leaving…" and wait until she would calm down. _What's gotten into her? The Hitomi I remember was stronger than this…That dream must have scared her…this whole night must have scared her. I haven't held her this close since…since she left Gaea. _He shifted his position a little, happy that he did not to wake up Hitomi. _I'm glad she's calmed down now…I hope she doesn't have another one of those visions again…Even if she does, I'm going to save her._

Van noticed a pink light coming from the pendant. _I never…understood how this…thing works…Never knew…_His tired mind did not finish the thought or ask questions about the pendant. He tightened his grip on Hitomi he allowed himself to fall asleep.

The pendant continued to glow.

Because the two separated hearts were rejoined.

_

* * *

_

_Oh no, not again…_In a dream-like state, Hitomi recognized the place where her mind was taking her. _No. No more fear, Hitomi. Stop this. You have to figure this thing out…You're going to face this vision! _With new determination, she allowed herself to be placed in the room she did not want to be in.

Hitomi saw the pendant again…in the same dark room…listening to the same pulse as before. _Don't touch it. _

She waited and watched the pendant pick up speed in its pulse but made no move. She waited for it to stop. She wanted to find out what this dream meant. _If a dream with the same objects appears twice, there is a message it is trying to tell you. There must be something-  
__**Someone  
**__-who is pulling the strings…_

The pendant finally did stop; and this time, Hitomi was ready for it. For a brief moment before she felt the ground underneath her crumble, she strained her eyes to look at the room she was in.

She scanned every corner that she could see as thoroughly as she could even when the dizzy feeling started to happen again. _There must be something here! _

In the last seconds before she began to fall, she focused. She pictured the pendant in front of her and waited for it to point in the direction she needed to go in.

It pointed straight ahead.

And in the shadows of the room…

…something moved.

_What was that! _Before she could get an answer, she was already falling. Hitomi reached out towards the darkness…praying that someone…anyone would grab onto her.

Not an angel, but a feather fell in her line of sight….But it was not white.

It was red.

* * *

I hope you all liked the second chapter!

That blurb with Van pinching her arm even though it seemed that he was going to kiss her...Yeah, just thought I'd tease you. Don't worry, they'll make out soon enough.

As you can see, the bad 'creature' has made its debut…Since it has a pendant, I guess that all you Esca. lovers know that it must have been a part of Atlantis….Or was it? The pendant is not pink, but black….Hmmm…What could that mean? (I don't know yet…)

There is more to the vision than just the pendant….Hitomi will keep having these things until the entire vision is revealed…..and when the thing in the vision is identified….00

That whole scene with Hitomi breaking down…Don't ask…I don't know why that happened, but I guess I'm showing that Hitomi is very nervous about this whole thing. She doesn't know the connection yet between Van's arrival and that vision yet….Also, she's trying to sort out her own feelings for Van too! That's a lot for a girl to handle!

Anyway, I hope to get the next chapter up soon…But with school and all the craziness going on, bare with me!

PLEASE REVIEW


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of Escaflowne…If I did, that series would have continued.

**To everyone who reviewed: **Thank you SO much! Your comments made me stop doing homework to write this! THANKS!

**Chapter Three**

Hitomi awoke with a start. _No! That dream! It ended too soon! I needed to see who was there! Dammit! Why couldn't I hold on to it? Why did I see that new scene with the red feather? _Her eyes, slowly focusing on her apartment, were blinded by the brightness of the morning sun. _Whatever was in that dream…I'm going to find out…I swear, I'm going to—_Hitomi's thoughts were cut off as she felt something breathing on her neck.

Adverting her eyes to the source, she saw tousled black hair and a sleeping face. _Van……  
__**The red feather  
**_She almost cried again. _He didn't disappear…_Shifting her body, she turned towards him and stared at him. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping.

_Van…You kept your promise-  
__**Stay with me tonight  
**__-Thank God that you did…_She leaned in towards him and brushed her lips against his. As soon as she realized what she did, she froze. _Oh my God, what did I just do! _Blushing, she cursed God for letting her feelings get ahead of her and thanked God that Van didn't wake up either.

Returning to her first position, Hitomi tried to get rid of the blush on her face with some success. She then noticed that his hands were wrapped around her in a comforting hug…and that they were technically spooning…_That's a nice way to put it. _She thought dryly. _I must be picking up too much slang from my students. _

Then she remembered that today was Monday. And that she was going to be late for work if she didn't get out of bed now. _Oh. Crap._

Careful not to disturb Van from his sleep, she lifted his arms off her and rolled off the couch. She checked the time and sighed. _Thank God I can take a shower before I go. _Just as she headed to the bathroom, she turned back to face the sleeping King.

And the blush returned.

_I can't believe I did that! What's wrong with me? Van just came back…That could just send him away again!  
__**Does he feel the same?  
**__Arg! I…Calm down…he didn't wake up. Just forget about it. You have the whole day ahead of you! Hurry up! _She quickly ran the rest of the way into the bathroom and prepared for a quick shower.

As she shut the bathroom door, Van awoke with a blush on his face. _That was…nice…

* * *

_

Dressed ready for work with a towel still in her hair, Hitomi returned from her shower to find Van awake and sitting on the couch, his eyes looking at the various objects she knew he would ask about.  
_**Stay with me tonight  
**_Walking over to him, being as silent as she could, she sat down beside him, she hugged him.

"Hitomi?" Van asked, being taken out of his trance. "What is this--?"

"Thanks for not leaving." She mumbled in his shoulder. Raising her head, she looked him in the eye. "How was your sleep?"

"Good." Van smiled. _Very nice. _A look of seriousness appeared on his face. "Did you have another…?" He let his sentence trail off.

"No. Not last night." Hitomi lied. _I don't want to scare you. I'll tell you when I know more…_

"Oh." _I had the same one again. But there was something different…_He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but there was something different in the way the dream looked. Van's eyes traveled around the room. "It looks prettier in the light."

"Huh?" Hitomi asked, a little confused. "Oh…The apartment! Yeah, I think so too." Smiling at his curiosity, she asked him, "Would you like something to eat? You must be hungry." She stood up and went into the small kitchen in her apartment, grabbing the toast bread and some cereal. _Something simple for Van…I don't have to show him any electronics to eat cereal. _

"What is 'apartment'? Is that a word to describe your living quarters?" Van asked, walking over to the kitchen.

"Yup." Hitomi said, filling the bowl with some Cheerios. She grabbed the milk in the fridge and a spoon from the drawer and was about to put them both in the bowl when she felt Van standing _right _behind her. She turned her head and looked at him.

"Sorry." He mumbled and took a step back. "I was just wondering what you are doing."

Turning back around and completing his meal, Hitomi smirked, "I'm fixing your breakfast."

"What's 'breakfast'?"

Hitomi sighed. "A meal you eat in the morning."

Van smirked. "I know. I'm just kidding. There are some things that we have too." Taking a seat on the stools next to the counter, Van grabbed the bowl with the tiny little circles floating in the milk. Taking the spoon with a fist, he scooped out some cereal and shoved it quickly in his mouth. Chewing on it for a while, his eyes widened. "Thif mis goods." He said with a mouthful.

Rolling her eyes, Hitomi sighed again. "Swallow. Then speak."

Doing as he was told, he continued. "This is good. What is it?" He barely finished his sentence as he put another spoonful in his mouth.

"It's called cereal. It's made of the same stuff you make bread with. You know, grains."Van nodded as he continued to eat. Hitomi smiled and watched him. What made her giggle was how the spoon was in a fist and when the milk started to dribble down his chin without his knowing.

"Mmph?" Van looked up from his cereal at the giggling Hitomi. His face made her continue. She quickly turned away and made her breakfast, butter and toast. As she spread the butter, she paused. _Should I bring Van to work with me? Can I trust him _alone _in my apartment? Oh dear…_Placing the toast between her teeth, she quickly ran back into the bathroom to remove the towel in her hair. She grabbed her paperwork for her classes and her briefcase and started to get ready. _Great, now another issue to worry about._

By this time, Van was already done his cereal. "Hitomi? What are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready for work." Hitomi said with frustration as she could not find her other sock.

"Where do you work? What do you work as?" He asked.

"I work at a school. I'm a teacher. I teach Phys. Ed." Hitomi paused in mid-search. "That's Physical Education…Sports."

"I know." Van said, walking over to her, and realized that she must be looking for her other sock. After all, she had one foot in a sock with a shoe on it and the other bare. "Looking for something?"

"Yeah, my sock. It's the matching pair to the blue ones I'm wearing." Hitomi continued to search the drawer as Van looked elsewhere. Noticing something blue sticking out of her other shoe by the entrance, he brought it to her. "Is this it?"

_Where the heck is this thing? I mean, I _know _I put it here yesterday! _Hitomi huffed and did not hear him; unsatisfied that it wasn't in her drawer where she left it. "What?" She asked Van, realizing that he had asked her something. "What did you say?"

"Is this it?" He repeated, dangling the sock in front of her.

"Yeah. Thanks. Where was it?"

"In your shoe." Quickly putting it on and rushing past him, Hitomi gathered all the things she needed for her day at work. _Oh man, the clock is ticking! I don't know if I should bring him or not! Arg! Why me? _She ran quickly from one room to the next, grabbing folders and papers that she needed to have for class, still thinking of whether or not she should bring Van with her. _I mean, what's the worse he could do?_

She turned around to find him already preoccupied with something else.

A Kleenex dispenser.

He was pulling out the tissues one by one and leaving them on the floor. "This contraption…What is the point of it? Why do I have to pull the white sheet out to have one take its spot?" He kept pulling and pulling…_He thinks it's some sort of trick or a game!_

She grabbed the box away from him. _At this rate, I'm going to be late! _"Come on, Van, stop fooling around." Hitomi continued to grab more things. She had to stop again a few minutes later when she noticed Van was staring intently at the shiny toaster.

"Wow. It's like a mirror. Only…distorted…Why do you have a distorted mirror?" Before Hitomi could tell him any explanation, she realized that his hand had pushed the toaster's button down… "Why is it red on the inside?" As soon as the toaster made its sound, _ding! _signaling the toast--even though there was none in there--was ready, Van took a giant leap away from it and grabbing for his sword.

"Hitomi! Stay back!" He was so close to smashing the toaster in two, but Hitomi stopped him.

"Van, calm down! We're on Ear—The Mystic Moon. _I _know what's dangerous and what's not. I'll tell you what does on. This is NOT dangerous…It's called a toaster. It cooks bread!" Hitomi said quickly. _I can't believe this! My apartment could be trashed if I leave him alone…Van..._

Hitomi looked at the clock again. _Shoot! I'm going to be late! _She packed a duffel bag with the stop-watch, a few of her binders, the notes that she was going to give out, a spare set of clothes…

…Wait a minute. She turned around and looked at him. For the first time, it came to her that he did not have a shirt on. _His wings…they must of ripped his shrit…_Running back to her drawers, she pulled out one of her plain oversized T-Shirts she usually wore as a nightgown in the summer. She gave him the blue T-Shirt. "Here. Wear this."

He looked at it. "Why? Where are we going?"

"You're coming to work with me."

* * *

"Lord Van?" The servant knocked on the door to his bedroom. "You majesty, are you awake? It is time for your morning meal." Hearing no response, the servant took out his key and opened the door. "Lord Van, I am coming in."

He opened the door slowly and saw no one. The sheets on his bed were rustled and out of place and the window was wide opened…

No one was in the room.

Except millions of soft, white feathers.

The servant, worried, ran all over the castle in search for anyone who had seen Lord Van. After many "No, I haven't seen him.", the servant finally found Merle in the kitchen having breakfast. _She must know! Lord Van and she were friends since forever! _"Merle! Merle!"

The feline looked up from her food. "Yes? What's wrong?"

"Come quickly! I cannot locate Lord Van!"

"What?" Merle's voice got shaky and full of worry. _Van…Gone? What? _

"Follow me!" The servant pulled her to Van's room and opened the door for her to see that it was empty.  
_**Except for millions of soft, white feathers  
**_"Where has he gone?" The servant asked again, breaking Merle out of her trance.

"He has gone to…He has gone to the Mystic Moon." Merle smiled, confident in her answer. _Beautiful feathers…_

"The Mystic Moon? What purpose does our King have on that planet?"

Merle turned back around and was headed once again to the kitchen to finish her meal. "Merle!" The servant called after her. "Why is he there?"

Looking back at him with her blue eyes, she smiled. "Hitomi."

* * *

"Van! Wait!" Hitomi cried. _Oh my gosh! He doesn't know how to cross the road! _She pulled his hand towards her so he would not get run over by a car.

"Why?"

"These are dangerous! They can hurt you!" She explained.

"They just look like carriages without animals to pull them. What's so dangerous about that?" Van remarked. _I wonder how these things work anyway…With no animals, how does it move?_

"Just…Trust me. I know." Hitomi sighed. _Oh man…This is harder than I thought. _Ever since they left the apartment, Van had been asking about everything he saw outside. _Maybe he would have been better off alone in the apartment…Too late now…_

Finally, the light turned red and the two were able to cross. "See Van? You have to wait your turn before you can cross."

"Oh." Van was too preoccupied staring at the cars that were stopped. "What are these called?"

"Automobiles."

"I like that one." He smiled, pointing to a red convertible with the top down. Hitomi nodded at his choice and noticed that the light was about to change back to green. "Van! Hurry!"

Just as they touched the sidewalk, the convertible that Van was staring at, sped through the intersection. He stood wide-eyed at the speed of the car. "They go so fast…Is that why they are dangerous?"

Nodding again, Hitomi pulled on his arm and proceeded to walk two blocks to the school. All the while, Van was staring in complete awe at all the tall buildings, the different trees, the 'automobiles'…Hitomi had to smile even though she would probably be late for work. _He's like a kid in a candy store…

* * *

_

"Kanzaki! You're ten minutes late!" A voice shouted as she entered the room. It was Suzuki Akira, the principle of the school.

"I'm sorry. I ran into some trouble on the way…" She mumbled. Rushing in and out of the staff room without another word, she met up with Van again outside. _He's going to have my head!_

"What was all that yelling about? I didn't make you late, did I?"

"Don't…Don't worry about it…Come on, my class is probably waiting for me." Hitomi knew that the school bell was going to ring in three minutes, but usually, most of her students wait outside the door for her. Her first class was Exercise Science with grade twelve's.

As they neared the classroom, she turned to Van. "Van, I need you to take a seat at the back of the class and try not to make any noise, okay?"

"Alright."

"Promise?"

"I always keep promises, remember?" He smiled. Van leaned in close to her ear. "Will I get another reward if I'm good?"

Hitomi blushed madly, but turned around fast enough so Van could not see. _This morning, when I hugged him first for not leaving…That's what he means…Yeah, that's all._ She heard him following her and quickly ran the rest of the way to the class. Hitomi tried not to think of any other possible meanings to what Van said.

"Miss Kanzaki! Finally!" Some of the students shouted as she came into their view.

"Sorry…" She mumbled, quickly unlocking the door and letting the students inside. Including Van of course. "Alright, let's get started, shall we? Open your textbooks."

"Kanzaki-sensi, I don't have my textbook." A boy called out, smiling. A few of his guy friends snickered.

"How many times…Nevermind. Just share." Hitomi sighed. _That guy never brings it…No matter how many times I tell him…_ "Okay, page 113. We'll be discussing lactic acid formation." The chatter amongst the class quieted down after a few minutes.

_Well, at least I can go through the day without any changes... _Hitomi smiled, happy that her teaching routine isn't totally affected by Van's presence. "Hmmm… Keiko, why don't you start reading? No talking."

As Keiko started to read, Van kept his word by staying as quiet as he could. From his seat in the back, hardly anyone noticed him…Except a group of female students who kept staring…Van kept his focus on Hitomi and how well she controlled the class.

And every so often during the reading, they would share eye contact. Hitomi would blush and return to the textbook, and Van would smile. _Hitomi…

* * *

_

Sorry for the long update! Ack! Stupid school! Honestly, I think all my teachers come together in the staff room and collaborate on 'How do we make her weekend miserable?':  
"I know! Four tests in one week!"

Anyway, just so you know, sensi means teacher. It is added to the end of someone's name who is teaching you something. Oh, and Suzuki Akira is a made up name. Suzuki is the last name and Akira is the first. I'm trying to keep it as Japanese as possible…(shrug)

Hopefully, by next week, I'll have Chapter Four up!

PLEASE REVIEW


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of Escaflowne…If I did, that series would have continued.

**To everyone who reviewed: **Thank you SO much! Sorry for the long update! But, I had a lot of stuff to do!

**Chapter Four**

"Then it is agreed! King Van of Fanelia will marry Princess Shina of Yoshidara." A council member from Fanelia stood up to deliver the final verdict. "Lord Van will be a wonderful husband to you, your grace."

Princess Shina smiled. "Yes. I believe so." Her kind blue eyes shimmered. _Yes. He will be of great use for me as a husband. I can not wait to meet the legendary King of Fanelia._

"We will start preparations for the ceremony once we return to Fanelia!" The rest of the council stood, ready to leave. The council from Yoshidara stood as well to shake their newfound allies hands as they exited.

"Your majesty, are you ready for this?" The chief councilman asked her as the last of the Fanelians left.

Princess Shina smiled sweetly again. "Yes. I believe I am…" _He will be of great use…_

* * *

The bell rang, signaling that the third period class was over. _Finally…It is time for lunch! _Hitomi thought with a sigh. "Alright guys, see you tomorrow! Remember your assignments!"

Most of the class groaned as they exited the class. Soon, it was only Van and Hitomi. Alone.

In the same room.

Hitomi made herself look busy at her desk. To her, the whole day so far was awkward. He was just there, sitting…Not making a single noise. Some of the students noticed him, but they said nothing. _Thank God for that…_But still, it was still kinda weird how he never said a word…

Van was about to speak aloud, but then he remembered something he picked up in class. He raised his hand and waited for Hitomi to notice.

Looking up, she saw him. With his arm raised and a smile on his face. "Yes Van?"

"Mrs. Hitomi! May I have permission to speak and move around now?"

Hitomi smiled then. "Yes. Yes you may." In an instance, he was up, stretching and yawning. He walked over to her desk and stood in front of it. "I like your planet."

"Uh. Thank you. Yours is very beautiful too." Hitomi picked up her lunch out of her bag. It was leftover chicken from two nights ago. _Mmm…Mom sure makes good chicken. _"Van, would you like to try some?"

He took one look inside the container and shook his head. "No thanks." Truth was, he wasn't sure what was in the container. _Better safe than sorry…_

"Alright. Suit yourself." Hitomi quickly ate her lunch and kept a watchful eye on Van. He kept walking around the room, pausing to look at basically everything. But there was something about his actions…They seemed slower, less enthusiastic than when he first got here.

Van let his hand trail over a model of the solar system. Right where Gaea would be, he let his hand stop for a longer moment, but then continued on.

Hitomi came to the conclusion quickly. _He's homesick._

* * *

"Class, class, settle down." Hitomi raised her voice again to quiet the class down. This was her all girls gym class…and thank God it was last period… "We'll only be in the class room for half the period. The other, we'll be outside running. Okay?"

Finally, everyone quieted down. Except Van. He was quiet since the beginning. "Take out a sheet of paper. We're gonna copy down a note on Substance Abuse. Alright? Okay. Let's get started."

Hitomi picked up the piece of chalk and began to write on the board, happy to hear the successive noises of 20 pens touching paper. The only other sounds were breathing and the clock. She was soon in her own world, not paying attention to anything but the note she had to write on the chalkboard.

Hitomi realized that the few noises she heard were all rhythmic and in step with each other. And she smiled at that.

The clock ticked. Someone breathed out. Someone wrote something down…The clock ticked. Someone breathed out. Someone wrote something down. The clock ticked…

Silence

Her vision got blurry.  
**_No one breathed out_**  
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. _What's happening? _Hitomi's eyes looked up at the clock to see that it was no longer moving. No one in the class was moving either…Each was frozen in time…_What? _

All the while, her hand continued to write on the board until the chalk snapped. The loud crack was accompanied by another crack and a sharp, stinging pain in her arm. _What? What is going on? _Hitomi looked down at her wrist and saw that it was purple and red. It was horribly out of place. _No! No more visions! This isn't real!  
_**_But why is there pain?_**  
_No! Stop it! Stop! STOP! _Her mind scolded her to wake up, but her eyes were focused on her disfigured hand. _How? Why? No! STOP IT!_

"Mrs. Kanzaki?"

_Why am I hurt like this?_

"Mrs. Kanzaki?"

_Why am I…in so much pain? _Blood was freely flowing from her wrist now. _Who did this to me? Oh God…Where is all this blood coming from?_

Hitomi's eyes lingered away from her broken wrist and noticed that her torso was covered with red stains, that her shoulder was bleeding and that her shirt was basically torn to shreds. _Oh my God! STOP IT!_

"Mrs. Kanzaki!"

The broken piece of chalk finally hit the floor and suddenly, all the sounds in the classroom were back. Hitomi was now aware that over 20 pairs of eyes were staring at her, wanting an explanation. Especially Van.

"Sorry. Uh…Yes Etsu?" Hitomi addressed the young girl who had been calling her name.

"Why did you stop like that? Did you forget something, or what?"

"No…No…I just…It was nothing…" Hitomi fumbled with her words as she got over her grief of her passing vision. "Let's just finish up here." She wrote the rest of the note quickly, not wanting to make the chalk break again.

Van watched her carefully. _Hitomi…You are not telling me what you know._

* * *

"Okay girls! Get it alphabetical order! Its time to race the hundred-meter-dash. Pair up and get ready!" Hitomi shouted at the track where her class was. Her heart was still pounding and her stomach was still sick after seeing-  
**_Blood_**  
-that vision…._Don't think about it! _

As the first two girls lined up at the starting line, Hitomi, along with two girls keeping time with stopwatches, shouted, "Ready? Set? GO!"

The whole class cheered on the two runners as they raced. Van watched the two girls from the 'bleachers.' _Or whatever Hitomi called them…I'm pretty sure they were bleachers…Or maybe beachers?_ Either way, Van kept quiet. _Hitomi needs me to stay quiet. I hope that she does not. _

Two more girls lined up at the starting line and the whole process started again. _Hitomi was a good runner…I remember…that first time I appeared on the Mystic Moon. She was running and she bumped into me…And then the dragon came._ Van smiled as he recalled their first meeting. _She hasn't changed a bit._

The races continued until no more girls were left to race. "Okay guys, we have 15 minutes left of class…Any suggestions? Relay races? Discussions? Dodgeball?" Hitomi called out.

Etsu spoke up. "I'd like to discuss that guy who was sitting at the back of the class today, Mrs. Kanzaki. That guy over there, by the bleachers! Who is he?"

Many of the other girls giggled and talked amongst themselves. Hitomi was not surprised to hear, "Oh my God, he IS cute…" and, "I bet he's Mrs. Kanzaki's boyfriend." She sighed. _I guess I can't have all the luck in the world…Someone was doomed to ask sooner or later. _

"Yeah, Mrs.! Who is he? Your boyfriend?" Another girl, Dai, asked, giggling.

"Probably!"

"Settle down! Jeeze. He's just a friend of mine who dropped by unsuspectingly yesterday. He had no where else to go, so he came with me to work." Hitomi quickly said. It wasn't a lie…Just a partial truth.

"HEY! Mrs. Kanzaki's boyfriend! Wanna come down and race with us!" A group of girls, lead by Etsu, yelled out to Van. He looked up and blinked several times. Slowly, he made his way down from the bleachers and onto the track.

"Um….Hello." Van smiled meekly at the group of younger girls. He waved nervously and tried to hide his embarrassment. "Nice to…meet you…"

"So, are you as athletic as you look?" Etsu asked from the back of the group.

"Huh?"

"Mrs. Kanzaki! Race him!"

"Yeah!"

"Wait, girls…" Hitomi tried to calm the girls down.

"Come on, Mrs. You are always saying, 'Back when I was your age, I was one of the fastest in my school…' Prove it!" Another pupil of hers shouted.

"Yeah! Race! Race!" The entire class began to shout. _Oh God…_

Van placed his fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle in hopes to stop the commotion. When all 20 pairs of eyes were on him after the silence fell, he got nervous again. "Uh…You are Mrs. Hitom—Kanzaki's students and you should listen to her. What do you think we should do, Mrs. Kanzaki?" It felt weird using her last name to address her…. Namely because Van never knew her last name before.

Then, all eyes were on Hitomi again. _Oh jeeze…these girls are never gonna let this down if I don't do something…_"Fine. You want to see how a real race is done?"

"YEAH!"

"Okay, Etsu, since you have a big mouth, you can start the race. Gina and Kameko can be the timers…Come on, Van, I'll show you how to run." Hitomi decided to race. _Besides, when am I ever gonna race like I did in high school? I love to race. It'll be fun._

"I know how to run." Van smirked. Walking over to the start line, Hitomi pulled off her wind-breaker. _This jacket is too baggy…Its going to slow me down…_

Van decided to do the same. "Can you hold this for me?" He asked one of the girls, giving her the shirt Hitomi gave him earlier that day.

Hitomi blushed again. _Oh God…Stop it! Its not like you've never seen a half-naked man before! _She let her gaze look at Van again. _He hasn't changed a bit…_He was still lean, but he had some muscle. A curious glance at his right forearm made her face become puzzled. _He got a tattoo? Ack! Stop staring!_

Van stretched a bit before taking his place at the starting line. He didn't know how to use that contraption where the girls put there feet in, so he took his normal running stance; one leg bent forward in a lunge with his body close to the ground.

Hitomi, on the other hand took her place as she normally ran; fingers touching the track with her feet in the holders. "Ready you two? GO!" Etsu yelled and they were off.

Hitomi focused on her breathing and her pace. She felt so rejuvenated. _This is the first time in a long time that I've raced…_She loved the feeling of the wind in her face and her feet on the track. She kept her lead on Van. _He is fast…_

Green eyes locked on to his maroon ones and they shared a glance when Hitomi looked behind her. Returning her gaze in front of her, she watched the track underneath her get shorter and shorter to the finish line.

_This reminds me of the time when I first met him…_Hitomi dreamily states. _I saw him there. I ran right through him and then I…fainted…_Her pace slowed down a little as her vision got blurry again. _Why is the track so twisted? _

Breathing slowed and head pounding, she saw a figure in front of her. _It's Van! Just like before! _Hitomi smiled lightly, not aware that she wasn't 16 anymore. As she approached him, she noticed that he was running towards her. _He's here to take me back to Gaea…_

They got closer, and that's when she noticed that his face was in a scowl and that his sword was out. He held it in his hands just like he did when he defeated the dragon…_The first time we met…_

But this time, his sword wasn't pointed towards a dragon.

It was pointed to her.

_Van…What are you doing? _Hitomi could not control her legs to stop; they kept going towards him…Even though her brain knew of the danger. _Stop!_

His mouth opened in a battle cry and before Hitomi could stop, his sword went right through her. It pierced through her abdomen and exited out her back. Pain went up her spine like fire and she realized that her shirt was full of blood-  
**_Covered in red stains_**  
-and torn to shreds.

Soon, it felt like her entire body was going to explode. She felt Van's sword leave her body the same way it came. That's when she fell backwards…she couldn't take it anymore. It hurt to move, to think, to scream…She saw Van hover over her with his sword raised high above her head.

And in a blink of an eye, he crashed it upon her head.

"HITOMI!"  
**_No angel to save her…_**

* * *

Wow…SORRY for the long update…School and the works! I got allergies, twelve more assignments…_sigh_…Why me?

Anyway, hope you all liked! More disturbing visions to come! And I swear, a plot line and answers are coming…I hope….

PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of Escaflowne…If I did, that series would have continued.

**To everyone who reviewed: **Thank you SO much! Sorry for the long update! But, I had a lot of stuff to do! EXAMS! DOOM!

**Chapter Five**

Under her eyelids, the darkness became lighter and lighter. Green eyes fluttered open and soon Hitomi was aware of her surroundings. _I'm in…the nurses' office…Oh, my head…_Vision getting clearer, she noticed a figure sitting at the end of her bed; it had black hair and was holding a blue T-Shirt in his hands.

"Van…?" She croaked out. "What…happened?" Hitomi tried to sit up, but the room kept spinning. _I'm safe here…Van did not hurt me-  
_**_Did not kill me_**  
_-and he's okay too. _"Van?"

Van did not look at her. His gaze kept on the floor, hair in his face. "Please, tell me what happened…" Hitomi pleaded.

After a long period of silence, Van turned to her, his eyes a darker shade of red. _Why is he mad at me? _"Van? What happened out there?"

"No."

"What?"

"No, Hitomi."

"Van, please, tell-"

"No. You tell ME what happened out there." He glared at her, totally knowledgeable of the fact that she's keeping a secret from him.

Hitomi kept quiet. _I don't want you to know…_Van came closer to her. "Tell. Me."

She looked away from him. _I can't…_

"Hitomi." Van's stern voice on the verge of cracking. "I came here to protect you. How do I know what to protect you from if you won't tell me?"

Her eyes did not look back at Van's. He breathed in slowly. "Your visions are the only link we have to solve this problem!"

"Van…I…" Hitomi's heart started to beat faster. Tears started to form. "…Promise me you'll never leave me."

His gaze softened. "Hitomi…I would never…" Van closed the distance between them and placed his arms on either side of her hips, leaning in close so that he was eye-level with her. "Why do you speak this way?"

Silence.

"Hitomi, look at me."

"Promise you'll protect me."

"Hitomi! Look me in the eye!" Van grabbed on to her shoulders, jostling her out of her position and made her face him. Her eyes were wide and on the brink of tearing. They stared at each other for a long time. "Tell me what you saw…I'll always protect you…No matter what."

_How can you protect me from yourself? _Hitomi's mind questioned him. "I saw…" She choked on her words. _He can't protect you…He is the danger…He is the threat…Van is the one that will kill you._

"What? What did you see?"

"You."

A puzzled glance was thrown her way. She explained slowly. "I saw you…I was running towards you and you were running towards me and…and…" Hitomi adverted her eyes again.

Keeping a firm grip on her shoulders, Van shook her lightly again. "Tell. Me." _Please…_

"You…" Her voice finally broke and the next words came out as a whisper. Tears began to come out of her eyes. "Hurt me." Van froze. Everything suddenly stopped. No sound. No movement.

"…No." He whispered back. "…I don't…I don't believe that."

Hitomi held her head low. "It's true."

"…No…You did not see that…" He shook her to look at him again. "Tell me you did not see that!"

She suddenly burst into tears of sadness and frustration. "Yes! I did see it! Believe me! I know what I saw!" Sobbing in-between breaths of air, she mumbled out. "You hurt me! You tried to kill me!"

Removing his arms from the crying and shaking woman, he stared at her. "Hitomi…I would never do anything to harm you!"

_I want to believe you…_Hitomi thought. "But my visions have…never been…wrong…" She said to him, sobbing afterwards.

"There's a first time for everything." Van whispered. "I know that vision is false! There is no way I would harm you!"

"But Van--!"

"—I wouldn't do that because I care for you too much, Hitomi!" He shouted. "That vision was wrong! Something-  
**_Someone_**  
-is at work to make you think that to drive us apart!"

"What, Van? What is working to drive us apart?" Hitomi yelled, flustered.

"I don't know. But I'm gonna find out what." He mumbled. "I will protect you. You can count on me, Hitomi. I would never harm you. I…You're too important to me."

Hitomi's heart ached to believe him. _He wouldn't hurt me…but, what if this state of mind is gone? What if he doesn't know it's me when he swings the sword down on my head? What if he isn't himself? _

Van stared intently at her. _What is she thinking? What did I do to her to hurt her? Was is by the sword? My own two hands? _"…Hitomi?"

She looked away from him with the new thoughts in her head. Pulling off the sheets and grabbing her books and bags, she headed out towards the exit. "Let's go home."

* * *

The walk home was very uneventful. Van didn't ask about anything. Hitomi stared at her feet as she walked, holding on to his hand. _Oh my God…This is so weird…Why did I have to see that? _Hitomi thought sadly to herself. _I don't want him to leave…But, if he is the danger, doesn't he have to leave me?_

Van looked at Hitomi and watched her stare at her feet, not speaking. _Hitomi…I don't know what's going on…But I will find out! I will do everything in my power to protect you…_

Finally, the silence broke as Hitomi and Van reached her apartment complex. "We're home." Hitomi mumbled, turning the key in the lock and making her way to her floor. The elevator ride was quiet too, each of them thinking of their own thing. _What other visions has she had like this one?_

Opening the door to her apartment, she sighed. _I still have so much work to do. _Her green eyes scanned over countless boxes and wrapped up items strewn on the floor. _This is going to be so much work…And I'm so tired…_All of the chores Hitomi had to do flooded her mind and made her groan. _My goodness, in this state, I won't get anything done…_

She blinked slowly, and started to walk just as slow into her apartment. _Might as well start today, since work hasn't piled up yet from my classes…_Hitomi began lifting heavy boxes and placing objects in their appropriate places.

"Hitomi?" Van asked, looking at her work.

"What?"

"You shouldn't be straining yourself…You fainted recently. You're in no condition to do this kind of labour." He advised.

"No. It doesn't matter. I'm fine." Hitomi said, in between a yawn. She tried to lift up a box with her plates, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't lift it. Van came around the other side to help her place it in the kitchen.

"Hitomi, please, rest!"

"Van, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You can barely walk straight!" Van pointed out. He stood right in front of her, sternly. "As King of Fanelia, I command that you rest."

Hitomi smiled and looked up at him, rebellious. "Your power as King does not work here. I'm NOT going to rest." The stood there, a few feet apart and stared. Hitomi folded her arms over her chest, egging him on.

Van kept his cool demeanor and stared down at her. "Then you leave me no choice." He cracked his knuckles in a feeble attempt to be intimidating. Hitomi blinked once and before she knew it, he had picked her up bridal-style and was carrying her to her bed!

"Ah! Van! Let me go!" She kicked and flailed her arms around, but Van managed to place her on her bed and tuck her in tightly.

"You will rest. And you will like it." He smiled. Hitomi growled at him but eventually stopped fighting with the sheets. She finally allowed herself to close her eyes and have calm breathing. _Van's right…I'm so tired…_

He sat at the edge of the bed, watching her eyes flutter asleep, how her dirty blonde hair fell across her face, how her chest rose up and down as breathed…._So beautiful…_Van leaned in to brush the hair out of her eyes-  
**_Don't touch her_**  
-but he stopped. _Hitomi said that my hands killed her…_ He retracted his arm slowly. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms again and promise that they would be alright.

But he couldn't.

_I don't know if we'll be alright…_He thought sadly. _If that vision is…No. It can't be true. I would never harm her…_No matter how many times he rejected the idea, doubt and fear always came afterwards. _Oh Gods, what am I going to do?  
**Leave**_  
Van was startled by the thought. _No, I can't just leave her.  
**You belong in Gaea**_  
_No…I need to stay…Something's not right in this world… _

Van held his head in his hands. _Something very wrong is happening here…Gods, what is it? What's going on?

* * *

_

"Princess?" A knocking came on the door of her majesty's room. "Are you alright in there? The carriage is waiting."

Princess Shina's blue eyes narrowed slightly. _He broke my concentration! _"Yes. I'm fine."

"Please, come quickly. We're out in the front." The footsteps got softer, signaling that the guard had left.

_Drat…How else am I supposed to clear my mind? Or get some sleep? _Shina pushed her soft white hair out of her face and got up from the floor. She grabbed her traveling belongings and walked to the door. She stopped suddenly, forgetting something.

_What else do I have to do?…Oh yes! How could I forget? _Shina smiled lightly and went back to her bed to grab a trinket she held very dear to her heart.

A pendant.

Made of ebony-coloured stone.

And she smiled.

* * *

For a while, Van watched her sleep. So peaceful and precious and innocent. He watched her eyes move under her eye lids as she dreamed. 

Then it hit him. After all the time he was staring, the thought never occurred to him. _She could be having a vision right now…_He watched and watched. Hitomi turned over several times, her breathing was quicker. _Why didn't I recognize this earlier?_ His eyes grew wide as her head began to thrash from side to side. _What's going on! _

His eyes adverted from Hitomi's moving form to fall on the pendant.

It pulsed…erractically…

In tune with Hitomi's movements and breathing. _Oh God… _Just as Van brought his eyes back to her, Hitomi's eyes suddenly opened, but she wasn't awake.

And Van was scared.

* * *

_I know you're in here! _Hitomi shouted in her dream. The pendant was beating faster and faster, just like her heart, and this time, Hitomi did not focus that much on the pendant itself, she looked around. 

She scanned every dark corner of the room. Her green eyes were rewarded.

Something moved. A flicker of light was seen in the area in front of her.

The pendant picked up the pace. _I still have time to catch that thing! The pendant's pulse isn't fast enough for it to stop! _Heart racing, Hitomi took off, running in the direction of the movement.

She passed the pendant quickly, not stopping. She knew that the pendant's speed was not at the maximum, so the vision would not stop until at least thirty more seconds. Her feet hit the ground hard and she chased it. _Stop! I know you're there! _

Hitomi kept her quick pace, but before she knew it, the pendant's loud pulse was on its final leg. _No! I need more time! _She reached out with her hands in the direction of the movement in hopes of grabbing on to something.

In the darkness…

Her fingers touched a shoulder.

A force, unknown to nature, sent her wrist backward, effectively breaking it. Before she could scream, the pendant stopped. _No…Please…I need to know…_ The ground cracked under her feet and she, once again, fell into the darkness. Her dizzy mind forced itself to look at her wrist.

It was purple, blue and red. _Just like before…_

Hitomi was not going down without a fight. She resisted the pull of gravity in the vision and tried to stay up. She stretched forward as hard as she could to see the face of the shoulder she touched. _Just a little more! _

That's when something from the darkness below wrapped at her body and pulled her down.  
**_Leave_**

* * *

Hitomi's body awoke with a jerk and a jump out of her lying down position. She was breathing heavily and bunched the covers around her body. Her breath became shaky as the vision replayed in her head. 

Soon her body became shaky. _There was something in there that didn't want me to stay…_

Van instantly embraced her shaking form. He whispered comforts in her ears and pet her hair softly. His breathing started to get shaky too. _What did she see?_

_It doesn't want me to know anything…_Hitomi concluded. _It sent something to pull me down where I usually go…It wanted me gone…It didn't want me to be there…_

A chill ran down her spin, despite the efforts of Van and the blanket to warm her. _Who or what is 'It'?_

* * *

WOOT! Done! Sorry for the delay, but now that exams are over, I shall be writing more! 

Thanks for all comments!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of Escaflowne…If I did, that series would have continued.

**To everyone who reviewed: **OMG! Thank you SO MUCH! I've never felt so appreciated! I'm glad this story has gotten a gathering…OMG. THANK YOU!

_Reviews for Chapter Five_  
**mysisterisasquijum:** Ohhh…Maybe it IS her who's sending the visions….Or maybe, she's just a puppet for something greater….Hmmm...  
**sirladyknight**Don't worry…Everything's going to be okay. Van ain't leaving…And the princess will play a bigger role later.  
**Storm-Maker**Thanks for the comments! I hope I didn't keep you waiting long!

**Chapter Six**

Silence. There was a long silence since the vision. Hitomi wasn't talking and Van wasn't going to ask. They had a meal together, but still, there was too much quiet.

_The vision must have been another one of me…_Van thought as he stared at Hitomi as she washed the dishes. "Hitomi?"

No answer. She continued to scrub away.

"Hitomi?"

"….Yes?" Came the small reply.

Van swallowed. "Was it me?"

More silence.

"Was it?" Van walked behind her as she continued to scrub dishes in the sink. He wrapped his arms protectively around her and rested his head on her shoulder. Right next to her ear, he whispered, "Why won't you tell me?"

In a quivering voice, Hitomi answered, "I don't want you to know."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to leave."

He breathed out softly which tickled her. "Why would I do that?"

"Because….Because something's going to happen."

"What is?"

"I don't know…"

"You should know that I would never leave you to face something alone."

"I…Van…?"

"Yes?"

"Someone is making me see these things."

Van hitched in a breath of surprise. _She knows something. That vision must of let her see something she didn't see before in previous ones… _"Who is?"

"Something powerful. I wish I knew exactly, but I didn't see its face. I just felt it there. I touched its shoulder before that vision ended." Hitomi explained, finally opening up.

"Was I there?"

"No."

"Why were you so frightened?" Van asked, concerned. "You've seen scarier things than people's shoulders…"

"No…It wasn't just that…It's power sent me backwards so I couldn't discover more. Even when I tried, something pulled me down."

"What did?"

"I don't know."

"Hitomi, why did you see this now and not before?" Van whispered, hugging a little tighter. _She has to go through so much to get answers…Why can't she let me help?_

"I forced myself to move and search. Someone, apparently, doesn't want me to."

"I…I don't want you doing that again."

"Why not?" For the first time since the start of the conversation, Hitomi turned her head and looked at him.

"Your getting hurt." He reasoned.

Hitomi twisted out of his grip to face him. "It's the only way I'm understanding."

"It's only causing you to lose your sleep and your mind…"

"I'm doing it because I don't want to lose YOU, Van!" She shouted at him. "These visions are all part of a bigger picture. Each one is its own puzzle piece! In order to get the whole picture, I have to understand how the individual puzzle pieces fit together!

"The only two visions that I have had so far are the one with the pendant and the…the one with you. The one with the pendant has come up more than once so it is more important. Each time I see it, it becomes different because I look for answers. Once I solve that vision, it will help me find the connection between the other one!"

Van could only look at her. _She…she's doing too much. This is too much stress on her… _"Hitomi, let me help you then…"

She breathed out slowly. "I'm the only person who can see these things…"

"Hitomi, I want to figure this out as much as you do. I may not be able to see what you're seeing, but I might see what you forget to look at. Two heads are better than one." Van returned his hands around her in a hug and placed his head on her shoulder again. "Let me help you."

Hitomi was frozen in place. _He wants to help you! Let him! _Her mind scolded. But something told her that she shouldn't. Something deep inside her told her not to make that mistake. She had no idea why. "Van…"

"We're in this together." He replied softly. Van lifted his head from her shoulder and stared into her eyes. "Trust me." And with that, he leaned in close and pressed his lips against hers.

Hitomi blushed madly, eyes wide for a second; all the doubting thoughts from before left as the excitement from the kiss overwhelmed her fears.

Van pulled away, also blushing a little bit. "You just have to trust me." He whispered, a touch breathless. He rubbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Okay?"

She looked at him, totally blown away that he had just…kissed her. "O--Okay…"

* * *

"Merle! Please! Her majesty is arriving from Yoshidara to seek Lord Van's presence! Where is he!" The servant cried, frantic that Lord Van had not arrived home yet. Merle and him were currently in the kitchen. Merle was perched on a stool while the servant was pacing.

"I told you already, he's at the Mystic Moon." The feline repeated for the umpteenth time that day. She got off the stool and proceeded to walk out of the area. _I'm getting REALLY sick of this guy…_

"What will we do?" He asked, following her out and into the hallway.

"We wait."

"But what is he doing there anyway!" The servant pleaded for answers. What trouble he would be as Lord Van's personal servant if he was missing for an important meeting? _This is not good! _They both continued to walk, Merle ahead of him by a few paces.

Merle growled deep in her throat, and snapped her head back. "Just stop already!"

"Please just tell me! I need to tell her majesty something about his absence!"

She sighed out of defeat. Turning around, Merle stared at the man. "Lord Van is on the Mystic Moon because he has finally returned to Hitomi." _I already told him this! Why must I keep repeating myself?_

"Hitomi?" He asked, confused. Shaking that from his mind, he continued. "When will he be back?"

Merle paused in thought. "Hmm…I guess, whenever they feel like it." She chuckled and turned around, leaving the man in his place with his jaw on the floor.

"You mean that they might never come back!" He yelled. Merle did not stop. The man waited for an answer, but gone none. "The Yoshidarians will not be happy about this!"

* * *

Van had certainly gotten a mouthful. Hitomi told him every detail, every sensation and every idea she had to solve the visions. There was much collaboration between them, but they only ended up where they started; more questions than answers. They worked until they could no longer put sentences together.

The sun had set hours ago and the entire apartment was cast in shadows. No matter how many times Hitomi forced herself to sleep, her eyes would continue to stare at the ceiling. _Why can't I fall asleep! I want that vision to come back! _She sighed out of defeat. _Maybe it doesn't want me to see anymore…_

Sitting up in bed, she ran her hands through her hair in frustration. Hitomi threw the sheets off the bed and walked to the kitchen for some water. Just as the glass was full, she realized that Van was not on the couch.  
**_Do you promise to be here when I wake up…?_**  
_Oh God, where is he! _Her eyes scanned the room and her frantic thoughts of him leaving her alone vanished when she noticed that the balcony door was left ajar. She saw his silhouette sitting on top of the rail. _Van…_

She changed out of her pajamas into something a little warmer; a pair of old aqua track-pants and an orange T-Shirt. _Jeeze, it's cold tonight. _Hitomi thought as the cool night air surrounded her as she walked closer to the balcony door.

"Van?" Hitomi peeked her head through the opening and stepped outside. She saw him sitting on the rail, swinging his feet…she also saw the pendant around his neck glowing. It was bright pink and shedding a lot of light in the darkness of the apartment and in the darkness of the street.

At the sound of his name, he turned his head slightly. "Hitomi." He acknowledged her presence and motioned her to sit with him on the ledge. She sat cautiously and stared at the tips of the trees in front of her. _Don't look down…_She was not deathly afraid of heights, just a little. "Couldn't sleep, neither, huh?" She smiled.

"Yeah…. The pendant was keeping me awake." Van said, grabbing on to the said object. "It just kept glowing. It wouldn't let me fall asleep."

"Do you know why it's glowing?" Hitomi asked. _It's telling us something…_

"No."

"Has it said anything to you, recently?"

"…Umm..." Van prolonged his answer. **_  
You belong in Gaea.  
_**The pendant hadrepeated that same phrase over and over again, getting more demanding each time. The constant talking was the reason why he couldn't sleep. But he wouldn't tell Hitomi. She didn't want him to leave, and frankly, he didn't want to leave her. _I hope Fanelia is okay…Maybe that 'something' bad that's going to happen is happening on Gaea right now! Maybe that's why it's telling me I belong there, because that's where the danger is! _His eyes lit up. _Gaea is the danger! Since I'm from Gaea, that's why Hitomi saw me as a threat to her life…That's why she saw me! Because I'm from the place where the bad stuff is going to happen!_

_What is he thinking? _Hitomi thought as she noticed his facial expression change. "Van?"

"Hitomi…" He started._ Here goes nothing… _"The pendant has been telling me that I belong on Gaea…Maybe the bad thing that's going to happen is going to happen there, you know? Maybe I was sent here to tell you that we need to go back there to help the people on Gaea because something is coming…"

* * *

"Open your doors, Fanelia! Princess Shina from Yoshidara has arrived!" The guards shouted at the gates to the palace.

"My, my, what a pretty place. Not as big as most palaces, but pretty." Shina smiled, her thin lips curling. _Very nice. _

The gates opened and the Yoshidarians were greeted with the guards and advisors of Fanelia.

"Welcome!" They shouted and bowed in front of her majesty as she exited the carriage. One elder pulled a servant aside and whispered to him, "Go help her majesty with her baggage!" The servant obeyed and followed the whole herd back into the palace.

The men led Shina through a maze of corridors to end up in front of two large wooden doors. Unlocking it, they entered a spacious room. "This will be your living quarters for the duration of your stay here." The elder smiled. "You'll sleep here until more…appropriate rooms are given…" He added shortly after. _A man and his bride should not sleep in separate rooms! _

"Merle, please!" A voice sounded from the hallway beside them.

"Hiroshi, I don't know anything else about—" Merle's voice stopped short when she saw that the Princess had already arrived. "Uh…Your-Your majesty." She bowed quickly, not making eye contact. _So this is Princess Shina…Wonder what she's doing here…_

Lord Van's personal servant, Hiroshi, also bowed. An advisor on Lord Van's council looked at him. "Go tell Lord Van that Princess Shina has arrived and that I'd like to—"

"—Lord Van is absent, sir." Hiroshi whispered.

"I beg your pardon?"

"He's not here." Merle said, louder. "Lord Van is absent."

"Well, where is he?" The advisor asked, amused.

"Not…here." The feline mumbled. Some of the men questioned the two further while other men from Fanelia and Yoshidara began to talk amongst themselves in a nervous chatter while another advisor from the council pulled Princess Shina aside.

"Your majesty, I'm sorry about this. I'm sure he'll be back soon….I wonder where he has gone…"

"That's alright. I'm sure he'll be back. He's probably off doing something…important." Shina smiled.

"Your most likely right, but he never leaves here without telling someone." The advisor stroked his beard in thought. "Especially when he knows that someone is arriving. We told him that you were coming to meet him days ago…"

"Don't worry about it. He will be back."

* * *

There was a long pause between the two on the balcony after Van finished his idea about the pendant, about the visions, about everything. Hitomi broke the silence with a simple question, "Will you go back?"

"What?"

"Are you going back to Gaea, Van?" She repeated. "If the danger is happening on Gaea, shouldn't you…go back?"

Van stared at the moon in the sky. "I…Hitomi, I don't know."

"Gaea is your home. Don't you want to help it?"

"Yes. Of course I do. But if Gaea was the place in need this whole time, why am I here, on the Mystic Moon?" Van asked her, looking at Hitomi. Before she could answer, it came to him. "Because I need you…You're the one who's going to help me solve it, aren't you?"

"Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Hitomi…But you said that someone is making all those visions happen. Doesn't it look like a trap?" Van asked. "I mean, what if it _wants _us to go back to Gaea to complete whatever it needs?"

"But what if it wants us to suspect this exact thing so that we stay here, on the Mystic Moon, and do nothing but watch as it does what it needs to do on Gaea?" Hitomi countered. She sighed heavily. "We're damned if we do and damned if we don't. We don't know what's going to happen either way."

He grumbled in frustration. "What _are_ we going to do?"  
**_You belong in Gaea_**  
The pendant pulsed.

"Van, what--?" She was not able to finish her question as a familiar pillar of light shone down on Van and her abruptly. It covered both of them completely and the pendant began to float from Van's hands. The light was so bright it blinded her. She felt safe in the column of whiteness but afraid at the same time. _What's going on?_ Hitomi could not see anything. _Where's Van? _

She squinted as hard as she could and finally, she saw Van's figure. Her arm, feeling as heavy as lead, reached out to him to meet up halfway with his own.His grip was hard, but necessary.  
**_I'm not leaving you alone_**  
She held on and soon, she felt lighter. _Just like when I was sixteen…_ Her hair flapped over her face, her shirt ruffled and her body levitated…Hitomi no longer felt herself sitting on the ledge of her balcony. She only felt Van's hand on her wrist.

Using his strength, Van pulled Hitomi closer to himself so that they were hugging. _I would never leave you to face something alone. _He looked up into the seemingly vast white column and closed his eyes. _Please, gods, grant us the strength to fight this._

Van's wings erupted from his back and he began to fly faster to Gaea, where the white column led.

Hitomi looked down at her shrinking apartment. _Good-bye Mystic Moon…_She thought quietly to herself. _I belong in Gaea, now._

The people who were awake to witness this phenomenon were in awe. People in their cars stopped, people walking by paused. As fast as it came, it went and the two people on the balcony were no longer there. The people could not believe their eyes. Two people simply vanished into thin air. There was nothing left…  
**_Except for millions of soft white feathers_**

* * *

In the darkness of the shadows, the creature smiled.

The gray light of its pendant faded and stopped swinging back and forth. "Good."

It followed the column of light with its eyes, noticing that the angel was holding on to someone. The creature growled in its throat. _This will only complicate things…_

Silently, it rethought its previous predicament. _Perhaps, I'll use this to my advantage…

* * *

_

WOOT WOOT! Hope you all enjoyed that!

Now, for some bad news: I won't be able to update for at least, like, two-three weeks. I'm going into surgery and I'll need time to recuperate. I hope you'll all stay tuned. I'll update ASAICM. (as soon as I can manage).

PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything of Escaflowne…If I did, that series would have continued.

**To everyone who reviewed:** (tears up) OMG! THANK YOU THANK YOU! You don't know how happy you've made me! You guys are amazing! Your reviews have given me insight on my writing! I had to start writing again! OMG! THANKS!

_Reviews from Chapter Six_  
**aan:** Thanks for your comments!  
**mysisterisasquijum:** Yeah, I love to make things complicated. But, I swear, it'll all get straightened out! I know, the princess is a b---!  
**Macky:** Thank you!  
**pure hope:** Thanks! Don't worry. There will be some gruesome stuff, but everything's gonna be okay!  
**kelsey:** Thanks! I hope I feel better soon too!  
**Cev:**(glomps) Thanks for you comment! I'm glad I'm that exception and that you're finding the plot/characters are believable! It's what I strive to do, ESPECIALLY when I have my own characters muddled in there!  
**Storm-Maker:** (glomps) Yeah, that chappie wasn't my favourite either…Anyway, thanks for your comment on my tangibility for descriptions! (tangibility? Is that a word?) Oh, there is quite a plot in store for all of them!  
_**TO ALL: Thanks for your well wishes for my surgery! It makes me feel giddy inside! (Storm-Maker, seriously, I probably am going to be drugged up to the point of drooling. LOL!) ** _

**Chapter Seven**

Hitomi lost all track of time. She heard nothing, saw nothing and felt nothing but Van's protective grasp around her. She held on, as tightly as she could, not wanting to know where she would fall…or how long it would take her to reach ground.

Encased by the white column, it did not allow them to see outside its walls. They had no idea where they were. And that frightened Hitomi a little bit. _What if we don't end up on Gaea? What if 'it' sent this portal to send us somewhere else? _

Van continued to strain his eyes in hopes of finding out where they were going. He could not see anything, but, nonetheless, continued to beat his wings to fly faster…to an extent that they were getting tired. _No! Come on! Hold out until we land! _

Even though the column appeared ever lasting, Van saw a field with grass as tall as he was through the thinning white column of light. "Hitomi!" He shouted at her, but she did not respond.

He prepared for landing, angling his wings to act like a parachute they slowed down and soon Van felt the tip of his boots hit the ground. _Land…_Once Hitomi's and his feet touched down completely, the white column dissipated and vanished, leaving sparkles of light to linger for some time after.

Hitomi's eyes were not accustomed to the sudden darkness of a Gaea night, so she squinted her eyes until they stopped hurting. _Ah! Everything's still so blurry! _The brightness of the column to the darkness of the night was a hard adjustment to her eyes.

"Hitomi?" Van whispered, also squinting a little bit. "We're here. We're home."

She looked up slowly and saw a faint mesh of familiar colours: black, maroon and tan. "Ugh…" She mumbled and placed her head back on his shoulder. The blurry, dizzy feelings her eyes sent to her brain were making her tired. Closing her eyes softly, she rested on him.

"Hitomi?" Van repeated, smiling. _She fell asleep…_He relaxed his back and let his wings disappear. Feathers flew everywhere from the warm autumn breeze. He looked up at the starry night sky to see that both the Mystic Moon and its neighbouring rocky planet there… They were here. In Gaea. _Where we should be…_

Carefully, not to wake up Hitomi, Van lied down on the grass and positioned her body so that she lied down beside him. The grass was tall, obstructing his view of the sky a little bit and it tickled him as it swayed with the wind. He placed his hands behind his head and sighed. _No way are we walking at night…I'm not even sure who's fields we are in…We'll start in the morning, since we'll be better suited to walk back to Fanelia. _

The stars danced in the sky and he could feel sleep coming to get him. But he forced it to go away. _We have to prepare for whatever danger is going to happen here…If we play a part in all of this, we have to be ready. But what is going to happen? Gods, I wish I was having those visions too! _He shut his eyes and sighed again. _Why did this have to happen? I would have rather our reunion been over something less…less…upsetting. _

He turned his head at looked at her peaceful sleeping. _Hitomi…I don't think you know how deeply my heart feels for you. _He blushed at his thoughts. He knew that they had said 'I love you's' after Zaibach was destroyed, and he knew that they both meant it. But, they were older now. Van had grown up, courting many women. However, none of them could compare to _her_.

The women he had met were intelligent, pretty…but they lacked something that Hitomi had. Every time he would meet the women, they would be missing something… something special… Van was never sure what made him stop going any further with his female friends. _They just couldn't compare…_

Hitomi was the first girl he had blushed over, wanted to kiss so badly, wanted nothing more but just to spend the day with her. _Hitomi, you're so special to me. It kills me to watch you hurt.  
**Watch you bleed**  
I know I said this to you before, but I'm older now, and I've realized that… I…love you; it's not some stupid little boy crush anymore…I mean it from the bottom of my soul. There's something about you that makes me feel good. I don't know what it is, but it only comes from you… _

His eyes wandered over her sleeping form. _Hitomi…I know we've had our years a part, but even after all this time, no matter how many new women I met, no matter how much work I put myself in, you were still there. You may have been faint, but there. I love you so much._

_Many people told me to forget about you…Telling me that you would never come back. Part of me believed them. I knew we'd be close friends until forever…even if I never saw you again. If you never returned to me, I would remember the times…Your return has brought back feelings I've forgotten about. You've reminded me of my happier times, Hitomi…Thank you…No other woman has done that to me._

He felt his eyes get heavy. This time, he could not fight it. Van averted his head to stare back at the stars. He watched them glisten and shine through the blades of grass until all he saw was the darkness of his closed eyelids. Before sleep could claim him, something told him that he should tell her exactly what passed through his mind moments before.

Because something told him that their happy reunion on Gaea would be interrupted.

* * *

The sun rose past the horizon, shining brightly and turning the night sky from blue to orange. Its light crept through the grass and fell onto the sleeping pair. As it gained more intensity, Hitomi finally stirred and opened her eyes. _My first dreamless sleep in a long time…it felt so good. _

She turned onto her back, and watched the sky changed colours. _This is something so simple, but so touching. _Feeling that someone was watching her, she turned her head to see that Van was also awake, looking at her. "Morning." He said, with a grin once their eyes met.

He sat up and pulled her to sit up with him. Hitomi was about to bombard him with questions about where they were, what happened, where they would be going, how far away from Fanelia was…but he held up a finger to her mouth to silence her. "Just, shh, for now. Watch the sky…"

Slightly taken back, Hitomi closed her mouth and watched the sky with him. They sat side by side with their hair being tossed lightly by the wind. Orange was turning the blue into purple, red, then orange again. After these colours, the sky turned yellowish-white…then, the white became a faded blue colour. It wasn't too long until all of the sky turned a calm blue.

The air smelt sweet with dew and flowers. Hitomi breathed it in heavily. _I've forgotten what Gaea smells like…No pollution, just clean air…_The wind picked up a little bit, sending flower petals and pieces of grass over to them, but not a word was spoken. The silence was better…Unspoken words were better…

Once they heard the sound of people coming close, they realized that they should get going. The farmers would be quite shocked to find two people lounging around in their fields. Van stood up first, brushing off the grass off his pants and shirt and then lent his hand out to pick Hitomi up. She used his aid and did the same cleaning job on her clothes as he did. "Come on. I don't want to cause the locals any hardships." He said, with a smile.

They walked through the fields and once they got to a sandy makeshift road, Hitomi broke the silence. "Van, where are we? In Fanelia?" They just reached the top of the hill where they rested on that night. It gave them a good site of the city below.

"Close to. I recognize these fields. They're on the outskirts of my borders…Fanelia is over there." Van said, pointing to the cluster of buildings and roads and markets up ahead. "That's my land. It stretches all over; to the north, east, west and south. My living quarters is that large sand-coloured structure over there. See it?" He pointed to one of the bigger buildings sticking out of the land.

Hitomi nodded. "How long do you think it'll take us to get there?"

"No more than an hour." Van said, judging by the steep hills and ravines they had to get through to get down there.

"That's good."

Without another word, they were off towards Van's castle.

* * *

Merle suddenly stopped what she was doing and rotated her ears around the room. "Merle, what are you doing? Come on and help me fix Shina's room!" A female servant hissed at the cat-girl.

"Shut-up. I hear something…It sounds like…VAN!" The last part of her sentence was screeched loudly as she ran out of the room towards the entrance of the castle.

"Come back here, you stupid lazy cat!" The woman shouted, running after Merle with a broom but not able to catch up.

To Merle's sensitive ears, the footsteps of Van's were coming closer. There were others, but his were the only that she recognized. As she neared the entrance to Van's castle, her sense of smell verified that she had run out of the room for the right reason. Van was coming!

She made the guards open the doors for her and in a flash, she was outside, running on all fours towards Van's scent. _He's back! He's back from the Mystic Moon!_ As she continued to run, she found that there was another scent accompanying Van's, but she paid no attention to it.

Merle focused her eyes on two bodies coming towards her. It only took her a brief moment to realize that one of the bodies was Van. Without a second thought, she bolted towards him, ready to encase him in one of her famous hugs. "Lord Van! You've returned!"

Van was ready for her. He braced himself as she collided into him to hug him fiercely. "Lord Van! Lord Van!" She continued to yell. Merle paused to lick his cheek affectionately.

"Merle!" Van smiled and hugged her back.

Breaking the hug slightly, Merle looked at him. "How was the Mystic Moon! How's Hitomi?"

Van looked at her, still smiling. "It was very beautiful. And so was she."

"Why are you so happy? Aren't you sad that you left Hitomi?"

"I'm not sad because she's still with me."

"What!" Merle cried. Peering over his shoulder, she noticed that the other body was… "HITOMI!" She jumped off of Van and raced towards her.

Unfortunately, Hitomi had not braced herself as Van did and fell on her butt when Merle collided into her to give her a death-gripping hug. "HITOMI! HITOMI!" Merle buried her head in Hitomi's shoulder, nuzzling happily. "Goodness! HITOMI!"

"Merle!" Hitomi had gotten the wind knocked out of her, so it was the only word she could squeak out.

_They're both—both of them! They're both HERE! In Gaea! _Merle's thoughts were on the brink of falling over. She just could not contain her excitement. Her arms held tightly around Hitomi's torso and were not letting go. _She's here again! _She was rambling on about something a mile a minute that her brain had no time to process. Merle was barely breathing in between sentences and Hitomi struggled to keep up.

"…We've all missed you so much! You stupid girl! You should of never-ever-ever-EVER left! All of the things you've missed! Oh! Everyone's gonna be SO happy that you're back! Allen and—and Millerna and Prince Chid and everyone else! Ah! The stories to tell! I'm almost nineteen, Hitomi! Did you know that? Probably not. But, word around the castle is that there's gonna be a party for me! Nineteen is a very special year. I can't wait to—!"

"—Merle!" Van interjected, cutting her off. "I think Hitomi would like to breathe in deeply for a moment." He had noticed that Hitomi's face was turning pink and red from lack of air.

At once, Merle let go. "Oops. Sorry." She mumbled sheepishly. Once Hitomi had gotten her breath under control, Merle latched on again in a less life-threatening hold. She had entwined her arms around Hitomi's forearm.

Finally standing, Hitomi—along with Merle—followed Van back into the castle. As all three passed by the large entrance doors, Van turned around to face them. With his arms outstretched, he smiled. "Hitomi, these are _my _living quarters."

­­­­­­­­­­­With Van giving her a quick tour and Merle talking her ear off most of the way, Hitomi absorbed nothing that either were saying to her. _Oh gosh. I should of brought a tape-recorder or something…I can't listen to both of them at once. _She sighed mentally. _I should have known that Merle was going to be talkative. Her personality sure hasn't changed! _

Hitomi looked at Merle. She was definitely looking the age of a nineteen-year-old: Merle was taller, but did not quite pass the height of her shoulder. Hitomi guessed that she was five feet-four inches. She had a womanly figure, but it was not easily seen under her attire. Her body was covered in a long simple tank top that was yellow in colour. It hung straight down to mid thigh with large triangular cuts at the side. A black pattern of black dots and stripes lined the hem at the top and bottom. Underneath it was a pair of black shorts, with a hole for her tail—longer and more pointed—to poke through.

Merle's pink hair reached just past her shoulder blades and was held up in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were still big and blue and her fur had not changed at all. "Hitomi?" She asked, finally stopping mid-sentence.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Just looking at how much you've grown…that's all." Hitomi then noticed Merle looking at her clothes and hair, giving her a full look-over. "Why are you staring at me now?"

Merle turned away quickly. "Just looking at how much _you've_ grown…" She repeated. Smiling, she pulled her forward. "Come on! We don't want to lose Van!"

Van had indeed vanished behind a corner without the two girl's knowledge. Running frantically at the thought of being lost, Hitomi ended up dragging Merle around. _I really should have been listening to him and his directions!_ "Hey! Not so fast, Hitomi!"

Scanning an unfamiliar corridor, they had no sight of him. _Heck, they're all unfamiliar! _Hitomi grumbled. "Merle! Don't you know your way around?"

"Yeah, but I don't want him to worry about—" Before Merle could finish, Van poked his head out from behind a door left slightly ajar. He blinked several times. _Weren't they listening to my directions at all?_

"Come on." He sighed, pulling them towards the door. "This time, we are NOT losing sight of one another."

This time, Hitomi tried her hardest to remember which door lead to which room and what area they were currently in. Van was showing her around, telling her everything, but it was getting harder to focus with Merle still talking a mile a minute. _Ah! I'm so going to get lost later. I don't even remember where the restroom is! Do they even _have_ toilets here? _

Distracted by her own thoughts, she almost bumped into Van when he stopped walking. They were standing in an oval room that had five doors placed systematically in it. The decorations were beautiful. All rustic and elaborate with different types of paneling and designs carved into each piece of wood and stone. There was a painting of the sea going around the room with Gaea's own type of aquatic life. At the very top was an opening to let light in.

Hitomi hadn't paid much attention to the architecture or the art in the other rooms Van had showed them, but now that both Merle and him were quiet, she had the silence needed to take it all in. _So beautiful…So delicate…_

"These are the sleeping quarters of guests. I presumed that you would want a room, right?" Van asked, turning to Hitomi.

"Uh…Sure!" She replied, startled because she was brought out of her trance.

"Well, you have no belongings with you…I'll ask a maid to give you a change of clothes."

"Change of clothes? For what?" Hitomi asked. _There's nothing wrong with my sweat-pants, is there? _

"I don't think you'd want to eat lunch in your dirty night clothes."

Before Hitomi could ask anything else, Merle pulled her away. "Hitomi! I'll show you your room!"

Almost thrown off-balance, Hitomi staggered to one of the doors that Merle led her to. "Van! Call us when the meal is served!" Merle shouted before pulling Hitomi into the room and shutting the door.

Hitomi sighed as the next words out of Merle's mouth were, "Hitomi…I think you need a bath. You smell like a farmer's field…Not to worry though! I'll get you all set up!"

* * *

Blue eyes snapped open. _Hmph. I did not intend for _her _arrival here. _Getting up from her meditative position, Shina frowned slightly. _No matter. I'll just make sure that she wants to go home._

Opening the door to her room, she heard another bang shut and saw who she knew to be Lord Van. Peeking through the crack, she saw him stare at the door that contained _her_. She frowned slightly again. _Lord Van must have a liking to this girl. _

She shut the door quietly, not alerting the King of her presence yet. She figured that one of his 'trusted' advisors would tell him soon enough…

Shina realized that _her_ presence was going to make things difficult.

Or more fun.

* * *

"Thanks Merle! I'll call you when I'm finished." Hitomi said, closing the door to her own private washroom.

"Okay!" Hitomi heard trailing footsteps and the door being closed. _Finally…quiet. _Slipping off her pants, T-shirt, bra and underwear, she stepped into the small bath. It was a small rectangle with rounded edges. Although it was made of wood, none of the hot water spilled out from the cracks. _There must be a sealer in here…_She figured.

Once fully submerged, Hitomi breathed in the hot water vapour. It was calming to her nervous senses. Van and her still haven't figured out what's going on and this whole trip back to Gaea just felt weird…_Just relax…Breathe in…Breathe out…_Grabbing the sponge and soap she scrubbed out the 'farmer's field smell' as best as she could.

The warm water was starting to get to her. It was making her too relaxed. Giving in, Hitomi dropped the sponge and sunk further into the water. The heat was a good thing against her tired muscles. _That one-hour trek here was killer! I've never hiked on such rocky terrain before! _Hitomi shut her eyes for a moment, but that was all it took for her to fall asleep.

She was running again…even though she could of sworn she was lying down a second ago. Hitomi heard the pendant's pulse and realized where she was. _Oh no. Not again…This time, I'm going to catch you!_

It was odd to her that she was placed in the middle of the vision, but that didn't stop her from picking up her pace. She watched for movement and soon was on the trail of something that was most likely human—  
_**Most likely?**  
_—that was walking casually in front of her.

Hitomi knew she didn't have much time left, so she reached out towards the shoulder that she touched last time. She felt that same force wanting to push her backwards, but this time…this time…

…she held on tight. _The same trick doesn't work on me twice! _Her wrist was flaring up with pain, but Hitomi kept holding on. She soon used both of her hands to hold on. _I'm not letting go without…without answers! _She thought, in a pained voice.

It turned its head to a profile. Hitomi stared at the glowing blue eye staring back at her with anger. Her grip loosened.  
_**You have no right to touch me**  
_The element of surprise was all it needed to distract _her _and throw her away. Hitomi flew backwards to where the ground was breaking up and was soon, like always, falling.

_No! I need to know! _Hitomi tried to resist the strain of gravity and tried to meet up with it again. She frantically began to climb up the falling rocks but she felt those hands wrapping around her and pulling her down to the dark water below—

Hitomi awoke with a start. _Oh my God…_Her breathing was laboured and she barely had time to think anything through when she realized that the bath water was…red?  
_**Blood**  
Oh my God! _Eyes wide she tried to scramble out of the tub. But, she was stuck. _Something's holding me down! _She scanned the water for something that she could be stuck to but the coloured water was not allowing her to see anything past the cloudy surface. _What's going on?_

Something bubbled in the water. Something was rising from beneath. Hitomi's breath picked up. _Oh God! _Before she could call out for help, long, bloody hands broke the surface quickly, splashing water everywhere…and pulled her head under the water. _No! Let me go! _

She tried to fight them off, but it seemed more sprung up after she managed to pull one off of her body. The hands began to wrap around her waist, neck, arms and legs, drawing her deeper into the never ending bath. _Help me! Someone please!_

Hitomi looked up at the surface of the water and did not see the distorted ceiling of the washroom in Van's castle…just saw darkness.

With the faintest silhouette of the thing with the glowing blue eye.

_Help me…Please… _Hitomi watched as the last bubbles from her lungs never reached the surface.

* * *

YES! After one month, I'm finally done this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it!

My surgery went well. (Thank God) and hopefully, I'll be able to update more frequently since I'm no longer in pain and afraid of climbing the stairs to get to my computer!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything that has to do with Escaflowne…The characters may be the same, but the plot is my own doing!

**To all who reviewed: **(deep breath) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Your comments make me feel happy! HUGS FOR EVERYONE!

**Chapter Eight**

A gentle knock on the door was the only sound in Van's room. He was currently lying on his bed, resting. "Your majesty?" A timid voice called from the hallway. "The meal is ready."

"Thank you." Van mumbled, rising slowly from the bed. Running a hand through his hair, he fixed his shirt and left his room. _I better tell Hitomi…She's probably still in the bath. I haven't heard Merle talking since she went into her room…which means that she's still in her room…_

Walking down the corridors to the guests' chambers, he smelled lunch. It was familiar to him…not like that 'cereal' Hitomi had given him the morning before…it smelled so good. _We're probably having vegetable soup with some fresh meat from the farms. _He mused as he tried to pick out what was being cooked. _It feels good to be here. _

Hitomi's door was shut, so Van knocked. "Hitomi?" He turned the knob and opened the door slowly. "Are you dressed?" Placing a hand over his eyes, just in case she wasn't, he poked his head through the entrance. "Lunch is ready, Hitomi…"

He realized that the room was completely silent. "Hitomi?" Moving his fingers, he glanced around the room in which Hitomi was not standing in. In fact, her dress clothes that Merle laid out for her were still on the bed, untouched. _She IS still in the bath…_

Van moved to the door of her washroom. He knocked again. "Hitomi?"

No response. No sound…

"Hitomi?" He called again, knocking and talking a bit louder. _She must of fallen asleep in the bath. _"Lunch is ready."

No response. No movement…

"Hitomi?" Van frowned. He pounded a fist on the door. "Hey! Hitomi!" Still getting no response from the opposite side, he talked louder. "Lunch is ready, Hitomi! Come on!"

When silence followed yet again, worry began to set in. "Come on! Hitomi! Wake up! Lunch is going to get cold!" He found himself yelling. "Hitomi! Are you in there?" _What if she'd gone home? What if—  
__**She won't wake up  
**__--she's not here? _Van tried the handle. Obviously, the door was locked. _What if something happened? What if she…drowned? _As the last thought passed through his head, he decided quickly on what his next action would be.

"Hitomi? I'm going to come in there. I don't know if you can hear this, but I'm coming in. Okay? Hitomi? Come on! Answer me! HITOMI!" He was practically punching the door. _If that didn't wake her up…I don't know what will…_

Still, no response. No life.

"Hitomi, I'm coming in!" Something in his mind told him to rush in there as soon as possible. He followed his gut instinct and pushed his shoulder into the door roughly. The weak lock snapped after only three tries. The door slammed into the adjacent wall with a loud bang, enough to wake the dead. It rattled back, but Van held the door open.

Covering his eyes again, Van called out again. "Hitomi…My eyes are closed, don't worry. Hitomi?" He was still getting no answer. "Hitomi?" Part of him knew he would have to open his eyes…but the other part still wanted to protect Hitomi's privacy, even though he had technically burst into the washroom without her consent WHILE she was in the tub.

_But what if she's hurt? You can't help her if you can't see her! _"Hitomi…" Moving his hand away, he regretted the action instantly.

Hitomi's head was under the water. _Oh Gods…_

He didn't think twice. Van rushed to the side of the tub and saw Hitomi's floating hair and body under the surface. Only small bubbles came out of her mouth.

"HITOMI!" Thrusting his hands in the tub, water came out with a splash. He tried to grab on to her, but he just couldn't…_No! Come on! _He frantically moved his hands under the water, hoping to connect.

But he just couldn't.

"Please, Hitomi!" Suddenly, he stopped moving. _This isn't right…_Van noticed that the water was getting cloudier by the second and that Hitomi's body was fading from view. _No! Hitomi! Hold on! _He moved his arms, now elbow deep in the water, towards her, but still got nothing. _Where is she? Is she even here?_

The water was now very dark. Van could not see through it anymore. But what he could see chilled him.

The water was red.  
_**Blood  
**_Eyes wide, he removed his arms from the bathtub. Watching as he lifted them out, he noticed that they were covered in blood…Not a single patch of his tan skin was visible under the thick coat of red. He was shaking…trembling all over.

Van watched as the blood dripped onto the floor with a splat. He fell back and moved away from the tub, his eyes not leaving his arms. _Who's blood is this?  
__**Her blood  
**__No…  
__**You like it, don't you?  
**No…**  
Yes…

* * *

**_

_It won't let me go! _Hitomi thought, staring at the fading blue eye. _No! _She could feel consciousness leaving her slowly. Her head was hurting and it felt as if her chest was going to explode. Everything was burning. But the power of It kept the hands on her, not letting her get relief.

The tub was too deep. She kept falling with the bloody hands keeping a firm grip on her. _Please…God…It hurts so much…_Hitomi's failing vision could still see that she was sinking in a bath of blood. _Who's blood is this?  
__**Your blood  
**__No…No, it isn't! _Hitomi began to struggle again against the hands. _Let me go! Let me go NOW! _She screwed her eyes shut and focused all her remaining energy on pulling free. They did not let up. She kept trying. She thrashed her arms, kicked and twisted…Even though movement made everything hurt more…Her lungs were burning up. Her brain wanted sleep. _No! _Suddenly, her body stilled. She had nothing left.

She listened to her brain. She stopped for the last time. _I can't win…_

Hitomi closed her eyes and wished for sleep. But something would not let her. Under her eyelids, she saw the pendant…glowing…brighter and brighter. It pierced the darkness and refused her from eternal rest.

Blinded by the light, she opened her eyes to see the pendant around her neck, pushing all the blood away with its pink glow. _Let go of me NOW! _The light flooded all around her in beams of shining light, disintegrating the hands into nothing. Hitomi pushed herself upwards to break the surface of the water.

The pink light helped her…It lifted her towards the light. It illuminated the tub; all the blood was gone. Nothing was left. The top of the water seemed so far away. _Please…Please…_Hitomi pushed her tired and hurting body up. The pink light was hurting her eyes. Closing them, in the darkness of her closed eyelids stood a figure…

…the one with the blue eyes was angry again.

But right now, Hitomi could care less. If that thing didn't want her there, she was happy to leave. _I'll find my answers another way…_The light from the pendant destroyed the image of the thing just like it did with the bloody hands.

After what seemed like forever, Hitomi felt cool air touch the top of her head. _God…Yes…_ The pendant lifted her up quickly, and Hitomi sucked in the biggest breath of fresh air with a gurgling sound. Her lungs were thankful and nothing seemed to hurt anymore. Water was being thrown everywhere.

But right now, Hitomi could care less. She wanted out of this tub as soon as possible!

Before she could get up, she immediately began to cough up the water that she inhaled. Hitomi pulled her knees to her chest. They felt like dead-weights, but they moved to the intended destination. She placed her head on her knees and tried to steady her breathing. _Oh God…Oh God…What happened down there? I almost…But the pendant…It appeared around my neck…to help me…But Van is the one who wears it…How could it--? _

Hitomi moved a shaky hand to her neck. She felt the thin chain there, but still could not believe it until she felt the familiar sphere. _How could it do this…? _Moving her eyes downward, she saw that the water was water again: clear and clean. She then finalized her confused thoughts. _The pendant really did come to me. _She placed it in the palm of her hand above the water and it glowed.

Caught up in her own thoughts, Hitomi barely registered the hand that was laid on her shoulder minutes later. "…Hitomi…?"

She freaked. _The bloody hands are back to take me…_ "Let go of me, NOW!"  
_**You have no right to touch me  
**_Hitomi swung her hands around to push off the offending hand. She screamed as loudly as her tired lungs to allow her to until the hand was off. She heard steps moving backwards…away from her.

But she did not hear the door close shut. "Leave." She whispered.

No sound of footsteps.

"LEAVE!" She shouted. Hitomi did not look up to see Van exit quickly, but she could care less who it was…as long as they left her alone.

Van was breathing hard. He slammed the door to the washroom and the entrance door shut. Standing close to it, Van slid down until he reached the floor. _Hitomi…_He sighed and rested his head on his knees. _What happened in there?_

He saw Hitomi's head break the surface of the water. It was so unexpected…he froze. He saw her struggle with breath…he froze. _How could I just watch her…? _

He also noticed that she had the pendant around her neck. Van touched his bare neck. _How did that happen? _

When he had walked over to her, he must have scared her. _Oh Gods…What happened to her? What did she see? _Moving his head up and away from his knees, he leaned it against the door with a thud. He brought his hands to his face and noticed that the blood was gone.

His hands were wet, though. But it was just water. _The whole time? _Van could not believe it. He _knew _he saw blood. _It must have been something Hitomi saw too. The vision she had had blood in it…and then I saw it too…Why is there always blood? Who is going to die?_

Something creaked in the room in front of him. Van snapped his head to attention which stopped all thoughts of the vision. _What was that? An intruder?_

He heard the sound again. Louder.

Van got up slowly, trying not to make a sound. He had one hand on the hilt of his sword and one on the wall for support. Looking straight ahead, he noticed that a door was being opened. _An unwelcome guest?_

He hid behind the closest vase and watched. He heard footsteps. They were walking fast. _They have somewhere to go…_Van thought, amused. He sneaked a glance behind the vase and noticed that their back was towards him. _Never turn your back on your enemy…_

With quick pace, Van sneaked up behind the intruder. _No one told me of another person staying here…_He grabbed onto their shoulder—  
**_A force, unknown to nature, sent her wrist backward  
_**--and spun the intruder around. He pushed the woman into the nearby wall with both hands roughly. All his pent up frustration and anger went into his attack. She gasped in response. The vase that he was hiding behind rocked back and forth from the force of her body banging into the wall.

"What are you doing here!" Van narrowed his eyes at the woman. She did not speak; obviously shaken up by the surprise attack. He glared at her for the prolonged silence. "Answer me! Do not think that because you are a woman that I will not kill you."

Van noticed the woman's blue eyes dart from his sword back to his face. "You are trespassing without consent."

"My Lord." The woman said quietly. "Your advisors have welcomed me here. They did not inform you of my arrival?"

Van gave her a quizzical look, but did not loosen his grip on her shoulders. "Who are you?"

The woman swallowed. "I am Princess Shina of Yoshidaria."

He looked her over. She did look familiar to him…He didn't recognize her until she said her name. She was indeed who she said she was. He could never forget those blue eyes and the radical white hair. Van had visited her land in talks of imports and exports and their alliance.

But it did not mean that he did not trust her.

He removed his hands from her shoulders and Shina moved herself away from the wall. Van bowed. "My apologizes."

Shina just nodded. "They should have told you. I did not mean to startle you." She smoothed her white hair out. "I'm sorry."

Van said nothing. "Where are you going?"

"To lunch." Shina whispered. "Oh…Maybe—Maybe that's when they were going to tell you…about me…"

"I see." Van looked at the exit door to the guest chambers. _Those advisors…I could have killed this woman if I hadn't asked for her name…_

"Would you like to…escort me down there? I'm still quite unfamiliar with this place…" She said, adverting his eyes. "You are going the same way, are you not?"

Van glanced at Hitomi's door. He was not going to leave her…"No. I'm not. I'll send a maid to help you there. Alright?" Van did not look at Shina.

"Oh. Okay…" She said quietly.

"Just wait outside the doors here. The maid will arrive shortly." Van turned and walked towards Hitomi's door. He knew that the maid was cleaning the rooms now…he would ask her soon. He glanced behind him to look at Shina for the second time. "My apologizes again, Princess…"

Before he closed the door to Hitomi's room, he called out to her again. "Tell my advisors that I will not be joining them for lunch. But I will have a word with them later on…"

"Yes, Lord Van. I will." Van shut the door and heard Shina exit. He noticed that Hitomi's room was still empty. The clean clothes were still not touched. _She's still in the bath…?_

Van knocked on the washroom door. "Hitomi?" He said quietly. "Are you in there? Are you okay?" He leaned his head against the door. "Please tell me that you're okay…"

He knocked again, lighter. _What is going on today? I leave for not even a week and already I'm lost in my own castle. _"Hitomi?" He whispered again.

Van felt the door move away from his body, so he stood up straight. He looked through the open door to see Hitomi standing there with a long, blue, thick cotton sheet wrapped numerous times around her…It went from her armpits down to her knees. Her hair was wet and matted to her head and neck and the little rivulets of water running down her legs and arms pooled at her feet.

Without warning, she ran over and hugged him. Her body was only partially dry, so Van knew that his clothes were going to be soaked. In the quietness of the room, he heard her mumble, "I'm sorry Van…"

Van hugged her back. "What happened?" He pulled away from her to hear her answer clearly. But the terror that was visible in her red, puffy eyes told him that she was not going to answer him. He didn't want her to cry again. "No…It's okay…Tell me when you want to."

"I will…" She sobbed quietly on his shoulder. They stood there, holding on to each other. Van realized that if anyone were to walk in…they'd be quite surprised to see that he was hugging a half-naked woman. Hitomi also realized their awkward position and blushed slightly.

But, right now, neither of them could care less. They had more important things on their minds.

* * *

"Princess Shina?" Many of the advisors stood to acknowledge her presence. They waited for her to take a seat. One of the oldest advisors smiled. "Where is Lord Van?"

Shina looked at her plate of soup and bread. "He will not be joining us."

Merle jumped up from her place at the table. "Why not? Where is he?"

"He is in the guest chambers…I think…That's the last place I saw him. Lord Van said that he had to finish something…" She explained, not looking up at the feline.

The advisors murmured amongst themselves. A young man spoke next. "You and his majesty have spoken?"

"Yes. But he did not know who I was and thought I was an intruder." Shina mumbled. "He is going to speak to all of you later on today about the lack of communication." She fiddled with the bracelets on her arms. The group was left silent.

"When are you going to tell him about the wedding arrangements?" She asked, smirking underneath her fallen hair. "I do not think he should be left in the dark any longer."

That is when Merle got up and left the table. "Merle! Please, sit! Your lunch will get cold. Lord Van values your presence."

"Clean your ears. Lord Van will not be joining us, so I'm going." She left in a huff. _Wedding? Lord Van is going to marry _her_? Oh no! But he's in love with Hitomi!_

"Merle!" One of the advisors called out to her.

"I'm not hungry!"

And the creature smiled further.

* * *

"There were all these hands….bloody hands…and they held me down…" Hitomi whispered, retelling the story to Van. _Bloody hands…Will I be the one to hold her down? _He thought.

"I saw the pendant…and it helped me break free from everything. The hands…and the thing with the glowing eye." She went silent after that. "That's all I remember…" Hitomi felt as if her brain was underwater. Every detail that she experienced moments earlier were all hazed. _Why can't I remember? _Even the colours of the visions seemed to be dulled. What she remembered as blood remained black in her memory, not red.

"Van?" Hitomi asked, looking at him. He had been awfully quiet. "Did you see anything?"

"I saw bloody hands." He replied. "I tried to fish you out of the water, but _my_ hands got covered in blood."

Hitomi looked away. _Oh God…The bloody hands were going to take me…_

"Hitomi…There's always an element of blood in our visions…" Van mumbled. He paused then, trying to find a way to word his conclusion. Slowly, he added, "I think someone is going to die…"

"Van!" Hitomi gasped. "Do…Do you have any idea who?"

_You._ Van stared at the washroom. "No…No I don't Hitomi."

Hitomi lay down on the bed. "What does this all mean?" Tears began to fall.

"What's wrong?" Van asked, lying down beside her.

"What if we don't figure it out in time? What if it succeeds?" She whispered.

"No! No, stop it!" Van pulled her back up in a sitting position and shook her. "We just have to think. All we have so far is that there IS someone pulling the strings…and there's going to be some sort of war or bloodbath…So…"

"…what does that someone want?" Hitomi finished for him. "What would they want that would start a war over?"

Van looked at her for a long time, but then looked away. He bit his lip. "It may want you, Hitomi…with your powers."

"Van, I gave up fortune-telling a long time ago…" She started.

"It doesn't matter. You made that pendant relocate itself from me to you. That is power…You have all these visions that are showing us that someone's plan. That is power…" He paused again. He folded his hands in his lap and leaned forward.

Van pursed his lips together. His next words pained him. "…I think it wants to silence you, Hitomi…"

* * *

(blank stare) 0.0 Wow. I had no idea it was going to come out like this….

Well, Van has finally met up with Shina. I don't think he's going to be happy that he's arranged to be married…(woot! That scene is gonna be fun to write up!)

Merle already dislikes Shina…

Van and Hitomi are making some progress on the visions….Or are they? Hmmm….

Hope you all enjoyed this!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything that has to do with Escaflowne…The characters may be the same, but the plot is my own doing!

**To all who reviewed: **OMG. Thanks! Like, I'm suffering from writer's block…Dear God…Anyway, here's my attempt at trying to further the plot with my disease of evil blockage!

**Chapter Nine**

Hitomi looked away, terrified. Silence followed. Before Van could do anything, the door to the room swung open. "LORD VAN!"

Both of their heads moved to the sound. Hitomi furiously began to wipe her eyes to get rid of the tears and try to remove the redness and Van made a sad attempt of smiling. "Merle…" He said faintly.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked playfully, crossing her arms over her chest. "I would've expected more moral actions from a King…"

Van realized Hitomi's and his awkward position. She was practically naked and they were sitting right next to each other on her bed. He turned red in spite of their conversation a few minutes earlier. "No, no Merle…This isn't what you think…" Van stuttered.

Merle came up to him and pulled him off the bed. Using both of her hands, she dragged him to the door. "Honestly, she isn't even dressed yet! Where are your manners, Lord Van?"

"Please…Nothing is going on—" Van began to say, but Merle had already pushed him out the door and slammed the door in his face. She didn't give him time to explain.

"Merle, come on…We weren't doing anything…" Hitomi smiled weakly.

"Now Hitomi, you can't be too careful around men…" Merle grinned. "Come on; let's get you changed into your clothes." The feline looked around the room to spot the dress that she picked out for Hitomi still laying neatly, untouched, on the other side of the bed.

"What clothes have you picked out for me?" Hitomi asked quietly, trying to change the atmosphere in the room. She stood up and walked over to where Merle was standing. _Van thinks that I'm the one to be killed…God, no…Please…_

"Haven't you even _looked _at them? Jeeze!" Merle stomped to the other side of the bed and picked up the dress. She held it out for Hitomi to see. It was a long, sleeveless dress that went down to just past the knees. Along the collar and bottom was a pattern of rusty red zigzags and opal green squares.

"It's very beautiful…"

"I picked this one because the green compliments your eyes and the red contrasts them. I think that the beige fabric will go good with your hair. You know, this one time, when I went shopping for clothes with Lord Van, I tried on this green dress. It looked nice, but then, the lady…" Merle paused in mid-story to notice that Hitomi was not listening and instead was intent on staring at the floor. "Hitomi! You're not paying attention!"

Snapped out of her staring, Hitomi looked up again. "What? Oh, I'm sorry."

"Ugh, never mind…Just try it on. I guessed at your size….Go on! Try it!" The pink-haired cat shoved the dress in Hitomi's arms and ushered her to the washroom. "I'll give you some privacy…Even though were both girls. It's not like I haven't seen…..Hitomi?"

Hitomi did not move from her position in front of the washroom door. "Hitomi?" Merle asked again. Her ears picked up quiet sobbing. She spun Hitomi around and noticed that her eyes were teary. "Hitomi, what's wrong?"

Through her tears, Hitomi smiled and laughed. "Nothing…Nothing's wrong."

"Hitomi…I might have only known you for a little while, but I can tell when you're lying. What is wrong?" The other girl pushed. "Come on. You can tell me."

The dirty blonde wiped her tears away. "I'm crying because I'm happy."

Merle gave her a skeptical look.

"No, really. I'm happy that I can spend my time here…with everyone." Hitomi hugged the fabric close to her chest. _If that something wants anything to do with me…I'm happy that they'll be here…to watch over me._

After a long pause of consideration, Merle jumped up and hugged Hitomi hard. "Oh, Hitomi!" She let go and grinned. "Now, go try on that dress and stop crying!"

"Okay…" Hitomi replied, shakily. Before she could close the door, Merle added in a whisper, "I also picked that dress because Van told me that he would love to see it on you on the day you returned to him…"

* * *

"So, you invited her here?"

"Yes, my Lord. She will stay here for convenience until the wedding…about one month from now. We're not sure about the location, but we suggest Fanelia…"

"You just expect me to marry someone who I don't know? Someone who I'll only have one month to make enough conversation to go from stranger to wife?" Van asked, anger rising. He had called a meeting with his advisors to take place before dinner. _I doubt we'll be finished by then…_

"We did this out of your best interest!" Another yelled. The meeting was turning into a shouting match.

"_My_ best interest? Like hell you did! This is probably some scheme to raise more money for yourselves!" Van retorted, feeling his blood boil. Truth be told, he didn't like many of his advisors.

"Your majesty! Please, hear us out! Try to understand!" Chief advisor Akira shouted.

Van snapped. "Try to understand _what_, exactly?" He paused and tried to control his breathing. "That the men who were hired by my father to help me run my country went behind my back to establish a marriage ceremony that I had no consent in!" He slammed his open palm on the desk at his last word. His other hand was currently gripping the armrest of his chair very tightly.

"Sire, listen." Advisor Haru started after the noise of the desk rattling stopped. Van looked up. As the oldest person on the council, Van trusted him. Haru and his father were best of friends. Growing up, he was Van's as well.

"What?" He growled.

"You certainly are of age to get married—"

Van scoffed to interrupt. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "—that doesn't mean I want to be."

"Do not interrupt, your majesty…You are of age. Perhaps even too old…May heaven forbid if something were to happen to you in battle…there would be no heir. Then what would happen? Tyrants from all over would try to take over. Would you want to put your people through that? Would you put Fanelia in that sort of political and economical danger? Would you want your people to be ruled by barbarians?"

The frown upon Van's face lightened. "If that is the case, then shouldn't I get to choose my own wife?"

"You've had this long to choose…More than five long years…With no results!" A younger advisor added. "You are too indecisive for your own good!"

"I'm not indecisive…I just know what I'm looking for." Van glared. "And I haven't found it yet."

"My Lord, Princess Shina is a respectable woman. She comes from a wealthy and intelligent family. She is a good match for you. With her and her people, Fanelia can expand…Advancements can be made because of the sake of higher population and accumulated ideas. The quality of life will certainly increase. Think about it…More land, more farms, more places for families to grow…

"This marriage was not made in selfish terms. This marriage was not measured in dowry. We, as in the council, made this marriage arrangement for the sake of Fanelia. It will strengthen our alliance, giving our people a secure state of mind; protection is important. It will help us rise in status for innovations and production and jobs…"

With Haru pause, a middle-aged advisor by the name of Meguni leaned forward on the table. "My Lord, your father would have wanted you to marry someone like Princess—"

"—What the hell do you know what my father would have wanted!" Van yelled, standing up so fast that the chair he was just sitting on flipped backwards and landed on the floor. The sound of it echoed, narrowly silencing Van's angry breathing. "You were barely my age when my father was around…"

Haru stood slowly, using both of hands on the table for support. "Your majesty, this marriage benefits Fanelia. I know it is hard to accept it, with it coming so suddenly, but…Van…"

Many of the other council members were shocked. No one ever said his majesty's name with such disrespect to his title. No one ever said his name without adding 'Lord' in front of it.

"…we did this to do what is right for Fanelia."

Van looked away. His long bangs darkened and covered his face. In three quick strides he was next to the door. The council men stood up to stop him, but Van held out his hand to cease their movements. "…You should have considered doing it to do what is right for its King……This meeting is adjourned until further notice."

And with that, Van exited swiftly and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Hitomi could barely believe it. The sun was almost setting. Merle and her had spent the entire day talking about everyone…well, not the entire day…at least since the feline burst in on her and Van. Allen and Millerna had gotten married, much to Hitomi's happiness, and were currently living in Austria.

"Chid is so handsome!" Merle talked excitedly, clapping her hands together. "I mean, he certainly got Allen's looks. Blonde hair, blue eyes…He doesn't keep his hair as long as his father, though. The longest part of his hair barely reaches past his ears…All the woman can't wait for him to court them. Oh! It's so romantic!

"He's king now…Chid takes full responsibility for Fried, even though he's only thirteen. Of course, Allen helps out…even though they're not in the same place, Chid asks for advice and the like. Ah! Hitomi!" Merle paused and turned to her. "Millerna and Allen have had a baby!"

This news took Hitomi by surprise. "Really? Boy or girl?"

"Girl…Millerna prayed for one. She's only three years old. Looks like Allen too…but her hair is a paler blonde. Dark eyes too…Yuki is _so _cute! You have to meet them again!"

"Yeah…I do…"_Before my time here is up…_

"I'll tell Lord Van that we'll take a little road trip there for a day! How about that?"

"Sounds good, Merle…" Hitomi agreed faintly. She noticed that the sky was turning dark blue now and as a force of habit, Hitomi looked at her watch. Not surprisingly, her watch was not working. _Obviously…I'm in a totally different dimension…_ It still showed the time of 11:37; the last known time she was still on earth.

Merle was looking over her shoulder. "What's that?" She poked at the cool metal band that the watch had.

"It's called a watch. It tells time." Hitomi explained.

"Hey! Like our sun-dials…except smaller…_way _smaller…" Merle deduced. "How come that one stick keeps ticking in the same spot?"

Hitomi looked at her watch. "My watch is broken…That's why it's stuck."

"Well, I know what time it is without looking at that thing!"

"What time is it?" Hitomi asked, amused.

"Dinner time!" Merle cried, jumping to her feet and pulling Hitomi with her. "Come on! We can talk more over dinner!"

Just as Hitomi shut the door behind her, she crashed into Merle, who had stopped moving. "Ow! Hey, Merle! What's the hold-up?" She looked up to see that Merle was bowing to a woman in a light blue, full-length dress with a white, frilly collar. The woman had a black brooch pinned to where the collar ended.

"Princess Shina…" Hitomi heard her friend grumble. The woman in blue smiled politely and exited the guests' chambers quickly.

She had enough time to stare long and hard at Hitomi though.

The pendant pulsed weakly without Hitomi's knowledge.  
_**You don't belong here  
**_There was something about her eyes that was plaguing Hitomi. _My God, what colour were they? _Even though she had stared back at the woman, it's as if her brain had not registered colour. _Why does this keep happening? It's as if I'm not focusing…But, I am…_

"Who's that?" Hitomi whispered as Shina's footsteps were no longer heard.

"Didn't you hear me greet her, Hitomi?" Merle frowned, turning around to face her. "Do you EVER listen to me?"

"I'm sorry…I just got distracted…"

"She's Princess Shina. Ruler of Yoshidaria." The feline explained, sticking up her nose at the last part of her sentence. "And I don't like her."

"Aw, why not? She seems polite." Hitomi asked, giggling. It was just so cute that the people here were acting more like the people on Earth since she'd been here the first time.

"Why not? Shina is a stuck-up little snot."

"Merle!"

"Well, she walks around as if she owns the place…when it's clearly Van's palace." She explained, leading Hitomi towards the dining area. They continued to walk the corridors, speaking poorly of Shina and highly of dinner. Once silence fell, Hitomi piped up.

"What is she doing here, anyway?"

"I dunno. Something the advisors set up…Maybe some stupid trade thingy…or politics…Who cares? I just want her gone as soon as possible."

"Why's that?" Hitomi asked even though she knew the answer.

"Because, for the second time, I don't like her…Jeeze, Hitomi, you really don't listen to me."

"No, I do…But, you've just met her…How can you just judge a book by its cover?"

"If I don't like what I see, I don't buy it. Same goes for clothes. Like, this one time…I think I told you this story but didn't finish it before…Anyway, me and Van went to the marketplace so he could see what he could buy me for a birthday present…He didn't actually say that, but, it was so obvious…

"So, after getting into a fight with the shop keeper about this green dress…You see, she thought that I got it dirty when _clearly _the dress was dirty before I tried it on…Van found that dress that you were wearing. He stared at it for a long time. When we left—yeah, I didn't like the dress anymore, so I didn't buy it—and when I asked him about that dress…It was the first time he had mentioned your name in a long time."

Hitomi blushed. _After all those years, he still remembered me…He actually thought of me…_ "He said that the dress would look good on you…that the next time you came back, he'd buy it for you. Van sorta chuckled after that, making it seem like it was nothing…But, it so was. I bought that dress because it made Van happy. And I like it when he's happy…"

Merle pushed aside the dinning hall's doors to be surrounded by the scent of freshly cooked meat and vegetables and soup. "Mmm! My favourite!" No one was in the hall except them, so Merle grabbed Hitomi and sat her down in the second seat to the right of the head of the table. Merle sat in the first.

"Hmm…Only three plates? One for you, Van…Who's the extra plate for? Me or Shina?" Hitomi asked, looking at the table settings.

"Well, I'd rather it be you anyway…I'll tell you why just in case you weren't listening the first time…Because I'd rather stick this knife in my eye than sit next to—" Before Merle could finish her statement of dislike, Shina entered the room with a maid.

"Sorry, m'lady…I did not know that Van had an…" The maid in the white uniform went silent when her eyes fell on Hitomi. A spark of recognition flashed before she continued to speak. "…an extra guest…"

Shina walked over to them, much to Merle's disappointment. "I don't think we've met."

"I'm Merle…" The pink-haired cat mumbled.

"No, silly. I know who you are…I meant…uh…Van's extra guest…"

"That's LORD Van to you, Princess."

"Merle!" Both Hitomi and the maid shouted. Hitomi stood and held out her hand. "I'm Hitomi Kanzaki. Nice to meet you."

Shina, after a few moments of realization, lent her hand out and Hitomi shook it. "I'm Princess Shina, ruler of Yoshidaria. Are you and Lord Van acquaintances? Which part of Gaea are you from?"

"Uh…I'm—" Hitomi didn't get a chance to finish as Van entered the room…seeming to be very pissed off. He did not storm into the room, rather, the fact that his head was down with his hair in front of his eyes was always a way to know when something's wrong.

Merle stood up to hug him to try and change his mood. "Lord Van! The cooks have made one of yours, and my, favourite meals! Doesn't it look good?"

"Yeah…" Van barely hugged Merle back and sat quickly just to stare at his soup. Hitomi decided not to speak…seeing how irritated he was. _I'll ask him about it later…_

The meal following was uneventful. Merle was the only one talking, trying to make Van engage in a conversation. Of course, Van was being unsocial and she failed. She then proceeded to talk Hitomi's ear off, yet again.

Shina also ate in silence…just watching the other dining members. _You will be part of my life, Van, whether you like it or not. _"Lord Van?"

Speaking for the first time since introducing herself to Hitomi at the start of dinner, everyone looked her way. "What?" Van asked, tiredly.

"How did that meeting go? What did your advisors say?"

"Nothing."

"Come on…I know your discussion was about us. You're telling me your council said nothing about the wedding? Or the date? I'm not sure how long I have to stay here until then…so I want to know. In case I need more supplies to live here…Are you sure they said nothing about the arrangement?"

Everyone froze. Merle practically choked on the vegetable she was eating. Hitomi dropped her fork into her plate at the news. She stared at Shina and then at Van, who continued to sink in his chair. "They said nothing."

Shina looked back at her plate. "I guess I'll have to ask them myself then."

"Yeah." Van swallowed.

Eating the rest of her meal, Shina stood up. "It was a wonderful meal. Give my best regards to the cook." She walked around the table, stopping at Van's chair for only a second. "We'll talk later…In private." The white-haired princess whispered in his ear, looking up at Hitomi and Merle. "I'll be in my quarters. Good night."

A maid, waiting for her at the door, left without a word, leading Shina back to her room. Once the dining hall's doors closed, Merle stood up. "I've suddenly lost my appetite."

The doors closed for the second time in the past minute. Then, it was just the two of them. Hitomi stared straight ahead and Van continued to look at his cold meal.

"How long have you known?"

Van stayed silent. "Well?"

"As of three minutes ago. My council told me at a meeting I set up…I had bumped into Shina and had no idea who she was. They told me that…that…" Van swallowed and said the next part quietly. "…they've arranged a marriage between us."

Hitomi breathed out noisily. _Van? Married? _"So, now what?"

"I don't understand."

"Your council has no idea that I'm here. Are you going to tell them, or will I make things more difficult?" She asked.

"I don't know yet."

Hitomi turned and looked at him. Van had finally lifted the hair out of his eyes and was staring back at her. "Van…are you going to go through with this?"

Van swallowed again. "I don't think I have much of a choice…"

"How are we supposed to get anything done with _this _thing going on?"

"I don't know, Hitomi." Van said, more harshly than he meant it. "As of right now, this arrangement is 'top priority' amongst my council……But, you are still my top priority, Hitomi. To me, this wedding is on hold."

"But, with Princess Shina around, how are we going to get anything done? No doubt that your council will want you and her to spend time together and…stuff." Hitomi mumbled. _I know that Van is unhappy with this wedding as I am…But his advisors will force him to comply…_

"Well, when I'm through with her, I'll come to you. We'll probably have to meet later on in the day…"

Hitomi slumped forward. "Why must things get so complicated?"

"I think that this is as simple as they're gonna get…" Van whispered to her.

* * *

Oh wow…Such a filler chapter…I'm SO sorry. Writer's block is killing me! I still have to formulate the 'evil-doers' plan. I mean, I have the idea…but it's not really flowing or complete yet…

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know, FILLER, but, the boring stuff has to be done. I at least had to explain why the council did the whole marriage and the Van angry scene…and I had to introduce Shina to Hitomi…and introduce the marriage to the other characters: Merle especially. I guess the evil master plan will be explained next chapter? I don't know…WRITER'S BLOCK MUST BE DESTROYED.

**A true authoress' note: **At first, I thought I wouldn't like writing as Merle…But, I find that she's my comic relief. Van and Hitomi are all serious with their 'we need to solve the visions' so Merle is the one who'll supply some humor. You can see that after some dramatic moment, Merle arrives…to 'relieve the tension'! Ack! I sound like my English teacher!

Please Review! (please?)

PS. Should I bring Millerna and Allen into this? Ugh…Suggestions?

PPS. Oh, and every name given to the council members and Allen/Millerna's daughter were made up!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Seriously, when have you seen ANY author on this site own something?

**To all who reviewed: **OMG. Thanks! Like, I'm suffering from writer's block…Dear God…and this is my other attempt to write while I'm in distress… Thank you all! Your comments make me feel all giddy and happy! (squee!)

**Chapter Ten**

Van retreated to his room for the rest of the day. Hitomi and him did not talk about anything and he did not even meet with Shina to 'talk in private' about the marriage. He just lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

_God…why me? Why now? _Van thought miserably. _Just when I thought I'd finally be alone with Hitomi……Why? _He pushed his hands through his hair, making it messier. Folding them behind his head, he sighed. _All in a king's days work…_

He noticed that the sky was dark from the open window across from him. _Good. Now I have the excuse that it's time for bed. _Van was not the type to lock himself in his room, but tonight was an exception. _The choice between the woman I've grown to love…and a woman who will bring my country to greatness…_

Everything was overwhelming and frustrating. Van had to worry about his country, Hitomi and the visions, and Shina. He had a duty of King to do what was right for his people…but he also had a duty to Hitomi. _Why me? _

Hitomi was special to him. He can't just drop her. His mother always told him to be noble to his lady. But now, he couldn't be noble to either without hurting the other.

With the war raging on in his head, it was wonder that he fell asleep.

* * *

"Hitomi! How can you be SO CALM!" Merle shouted at her. "I mean, Shina is going to steal Van away!"

"Merle, you need to be calm." Hitomi sighed. "Van has a duty to his country. This marriage is going to help his people."

"But Van doesn't love her!" The pink-haired one protested. _He loves you, you idiot!_

"I guess he doesn't have to." Hitomi whispered, almost not heard. "Shina is a nice woman…Once he gets to know her…"

"HITOMI!" Merle screeched. "Why are you in favour of this? I mean, Shina is the scum of the earth!"

"Merle! You can't say that. You don't know her."

"I can and I will. She rubs me the wrong way…Shina doesn't deserve Van." Merle turned to the side and folded her arms across her chest, ending her statement with a huff.

"How do you know that?"

"Because you—!" Merle suddenly stopped herself. She growled instead. "Never mind."

Hitomi stood up from the bed and walked towards her friend. "What is it?"

Her blue eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is why you are so…so casual about this!"

"I'm not casual, Merle. I am upset about this." Hitomi looked at the floor. "But, sometimes, there isn't much someone can do."

Merle gave up. _There's plenty we can do! _"Ugh! Fine. Whatever. I'm tired. I can't think of another argument. I'm going to bed. 'Night, Hitomi…" She left with a sulk, closing the door behind her.

Hitomi sat down on her bed again. In an instant, she began to cry softly. _Why am I crying for? _She thought as she continued to watch the tears fall from blurry eyes. _There isn't much I can do now…All I can do is figure out what's going to happen before—before his wedding, I guess…The happy couple can't have the sky raining blood…_

She stopped. Why did she think of that? _The sky raining blood? Where did that come from? _Hitomi got up and took off the dress that Van had apparently wanted to see on her. _With his head down at dinner, I doubt he noticed anyway. _

After their short conversation at the dining table, Van had left, leaving her behind. Still in a state of shock, she barely registered what they had said. It was a while until she left too. Returning to her room, Merle was waiting for her and immediately she began to rant about the wedding.

Hitomi was quiet the entire time, only agreeing or nodding every so often. She didn't know what to think of this. She knew that Van HAD to do this marriage, for his country…but that left the visions alone. He told her that she was top priority…however, Hitomi knew it would be difficult to stop a potential danger while wedding arrangements were going on. _I guess I'll be solo for a while._

Truth was, she hating being 'solo.' Going to Yukari's and Amano's wedding was hard; she was giving up her best friend to another friend. Of course, it wasn't as if they deserted her; they always came over to visit and called weekly…But it was always awkward; being the third wheel and all. Hitomi was always alone…She had dates, but none were promising. Every night she would go home empty-handed.

Her reunion with Van made her feel strangely welcomed. He never forgot her…With him, she was never alone. But, here she was…the only soul in her bedroom, watching someone else take another friend from her.

Hitomi sighed. She made a mistake. She should of known that Van would be busy…too busy for her. She had a feeling she would be alone again. _Not much I can do…_

Pulling out a nightgown—Merle had told her where they were—she changed quickly and lay down in the bed, under the covers. _All I can do is figure out what's going to happen…and leave…  
__**You don't belong here  
**_…_leave the happy couple…_Hitomi pulled the covers close. "Goodnight Van…"

But she knew she wouldn't sleep.

* * *

Shina sat on her bed in a meditative position; legs crossed with her back straight and both of her hands, palm up, on her knees. Her right hand had the ring finger touching the thumb and on her left hand, both the ring finger and the middle finger touched the thumb.

And in front of her almost sleeping body, her own ebony pendant floated in front of her. Two of her guards stood protectively at the door with their swords ready. One was staring straight ahead, not taking in their princess' position. The other, a younger guard, continued to stare at Shina, confused.

"My highness?" One deep voiced guard asked as he glanced at her.

"Yes?" Shina replied calmly, mind still in a haze. Before the man could ask, she already knew his answer. "The possession will take place tonight."

The guard blinked. "How could—could you answer me without me asking?"

"You still do not know the powers that I possess?" She asked. "Foolish man…My pendant lets me know."

"Your highness…" The curious guard repeated. "What do you mean 'possession'?" The other guard looked sternly at him, telling him non-verbally that he should stop asking questions. The younger man obeyed.

Shina remained quiet and the pendant began to glow. _Once this seed is planted, my plan will prevail without question…

* * *

_

In an uneasy sleeping state, Van's brain told him to wake up. Eyes open, after some difficulty, he realized that it was still dark. _Why did I wake up now? _He was about to drift back, when he heard something in the room.

Now he was alert. Van's eyes shifted from left to center to the right. He noticed that the sound was coming from behind him. It sounded like faint murmuring…or perhaps breathing? _Someone's in here…How did they get past the guards? Maybe the open window… _His mind buzzed with possibilities, but his body told him to get up and defend himself.

With his back to the noise, he was at an advantage and a disadvantage. His advantage was that his 'mystery guest' couldn't see what he was doing. Unfortunately, he couldn't see what his guest was doing either…He knew that he always placed his sword next to his bed on the left side, up against the wall.

Just his luck, he was sleeping right next to it. Slowly and silently, he stretched right arm from underneath his body towards the sword's handle. All the while, he could hear the person—  
_**Thing  
**_—breathing louder and stronger. His hand finally gripped the sword. Van paused, listening. Hearing no movement, he narrowed his eyes in concentration. It was time for a surprise attack…Maybe he'll scare away the person before doing any damage. _Now or never…_He grit his teeth and pulled the sword out, turning his body right around and upright.

Holding the sword out to the direction of the shadowed figure, he spoke menacingly, "Who are you?"

Van held onto the sword tighter. "Speak! Or I shall be forced to cause harm to you…" The figure in the shadows of his room moved forward. "Take another step…" Van threatened, getting out from underneath his covers and knelling on his bed, ready to strike.

The figure stopped. But so did Van.

The moonlight that came from the open window cast an eerie glow on the person's face. Dirty blonde hair came into view and its eyes—  
_**What colour are they?  
**_—sparkled an emerald green. "…Hitomi?"

"Van…" Hitomi sounded relieved. "I thought you were going to hurt me…"

He dropped his sword on the floor, releasing his first instinct to attack. The sword settled with a clang beside his bed. "What are you doing here this late?" Van asked.

"I…I couldn't sleep…" She got on the bed and crawled towards him.

"Oh…" Van gulped. He stared at her as she moved; the moonlight was catching the edges of her nightgown along her curves.

Not that he was looking there intentionally or anything….He blushed anyway. _You're acting like a little boy. Stop it. You're an adult now. You can handle this situation. _

Hitomi sat in front of him. "Can you sleep?" She asked, smirking.

"Uh…Not—Not really." He stammered, thankful that the darkness covered his embarrassment. "…After all, you just woke me up. Not that I was sleeping soundly or anything…"

"I'm sorry for waking you. I went for a walk…I kinda got lost, but then ended up here."

"Oh…" Van repeated, staring blankly at her. "How did you get past the guards, Hitomi?"

She shrugged playfully. "We'll talk later…"

_She looks very beautiful…_ He felt as if he was under a trance. The next thing he knew, he heard himself mumble, "Uh…You could……You could stay here…for the night—if you want to."

He heard her giggle softly. "I thought you'd never offer." She leaned in closer to him and Van froze in his spot. Hitomi captured his lips in a very demanding kiss. He was slightly taken back by her forwardness.

Not that he was complaining or anything….

Once the initial shock wore off, Van closed his eyes, leaned forward and kissed back, moving his hands behind her head to push her closer. His heart was pounding in his ears, his body was getting sweaty and his mind was only focused on her. His body was acting on its own accord now. He nibbled her lower lip gently and she parted her lips slowly. Van slid his tongue inside and gently massaged hers.

Their mouths were connected for some time, neither giving in to the other. Van knew that he was blushing. Or maybe the redness in his face was due to the fact that his body temperature felt like it had risen one thousand degrees. He had never felt this sort of passion with anyone before. The heat was burning his body.

Not that he was complaining about that feeling or anything…

One of his hands was still in her hair, combing through and fisting certain strands, while the other hung idly at her hips. Van was unsure whether or not he should move elsewhere.

Her hands, however, were moving indeed. They were slowly making their way down his abdomen. So caught up in their kiss, Van barely registered what was going on. It was when her hands rested on the waistline of his sleeping trunks when his eyes opened and he tried to pull away. One part of him wanted him to stop trying and give in, but a rational part won.

"Hitomi!" Van panted, in awe of her actions and eagerness. "What are you—?"

She held a finger to his lips. "Shh…We'll talk later…"

Hitomi grabbed him into another kiss. Even though her hands had not moved any lower from his waist, Van continued to try to pull away. _I must be crazy…_He thought as he tried to break the kiss. _But…something's not right… _He pulled harder.

But she would not let him go. Immediately, her hands went to the back of his head and pushed him against her lips. At this moment Van realized that he had not taken a good deep breath in a while. He hadn't noticed that his lungs were burning.

_Gods…Please Hitomi… _He was getting desperate. Van used both of his arms to pull away and it was only a few moments later when air returned to him. He panted loudly, trying to get all the air he could. _How long were we…? Jeeze…_No matter how many breaths he took in, it never seemed like enough.

Van clutched at his stomach. He continued to struggle with his breathing. _What is…going on? Why can't I…I breathe…properly? _He leaned forward, placing his head on Hitomi's shoulder. His breathing was getting wheezy. It felt like his throat was closing up on him. It was getting tighter and tighter…

"Hi…Hi…" Van looked up at her, trying to say her name. "Hi…Hit…to…mi…"

She did not return his gaze.

His throat suddenly closed completely. _Oh…Gods…What's…happening to…me? _Van tore away from Hitomi's shoulder and sat upright, grabbing his throat. No air was coming in now, no matter how hard he tried to suck in a breath. The burning in his lungs intensified. Veins in his body felt as if they were going to explode…

"Hi…Hi…" He looked at her again, through blurry and fading vision. His eyes were unfocused and slightly bulging. She leaned in close to him and kissed him again. "…No!"

Once her lips left his, his body began to shake and twitch. To try and loosen his throat, his body made him cough. Violently. But nothing seemed to help. If anything, it got tighter. Van could barely see her, even though she was right in front of him. His hands began to claw at his neck, trying to relieve the pain.

He didn't feel it when Hitomi pushed him down on the bed so that he was lying down again. His coughs were getting weaker, but still persistent. His mind was blank; the only thoughts were to the gods to save him…But when Van began to taste something coppery in his mouth, he knew that not even a miracle could save him.

His throat loosened only slightly to allow the liquid out and a little breath in. Every breath made a gurgling noise in his throat accompanied by burning sensations and he knew he was running out of time. Van could feel the red liquid trickle out of his mouth and fall off his face or down his neck.

He looked up at Hitomi for last time. "Hi…Hi…" Van could not finish her name. His throat closed again.

She loomed over him, moving her weight over his diaphragm to push out any air left. "Shh…Shh…We'll talk later…" He felt her delicate fingers wipe up some of the fallen blood on his neck. She stared at her fingers then licked them clean, still looming over him.

And she smiled. "We'll talk later…"

Van stared wide-eyed at her until the darkness consumed him.

* * *

He gasped loudly as his eyes shot open to see an empty room. No one was there but him. The first rays of sunlight streamed in through the open window and rested on the tossed sheets of his bed.

His breath was shaky, but his throat was not closed and his mouth was not full of blood either. _It was a dream…One hell of a dream…_Van touched his face to feel for any dried blood there, but found only saliva. He figured that he must have been sleeping with his mouth open.

He sat up in bed quickly and threw the sheets off of him. _What the hell was that? _Van continued to take deep breaths, somewhat waiting for the tightness in his throat to return.

But, it didn't. _Okay…It was just a dream…Deep breath, Van…In and out… _Finally, he was under control. Once again, he asked himself, "What the hell was that?" He got up from his bed and walked to the window. He took in the morning scenery and the air in a deep, cleansing breath.

"Okay…stay calm. Just tell Hitomi…" He paused. He just realized what an awkward conversation that would be. _Yeah, I had a dream where me and you were kissing madly and were about to have a 'special evening' when I suddenly choked and died. What do you think about that?…Oh, very mature Van…_His mind made a dialogue and Van almost laughed at the thought.

Almost laughed. The reality was nothing to joke about.

He hasn't laughed in what seemed like a long time. _I going to have to tell her…After all, she told me one of her more…disturbing visions. _Van remembered how hurt Hitomi had been when she had to retell the vision of him killing her. _I guess I'll return the favour…_

Van was about to rehearse his 'retelling' of what it seemed to be another nice dream and ended up being a nightmare. _I have to be mature…_He knew he would end up turning red anyway. Talking about this type of stuff wasn't his thing. He knew that he was an adult, just over twenty years old, but it still felt weird to him.

He may have gotten more experience and stronger as he aged, but he was still as shy as he was when he was sixteen. _I must be crazy…_Van just thought that something so intimate can't be talked about so casually in public. His mother always told him to respect women. He figured that talking about their private times openly isn't the best way to respect someone.

Van pulled himself together and was about to get changed when the door was open. "Good morning, Lord Van!"

Merle stood there with her arms stretched over her head with a warm smile. "Good morning, Merle…How are you?"

"Good morning." Another voice called from behind Merle. _Hitomi…_

"I'm super, Lord Van!" Merle's voice changed tone. "Super, as in, super-upset!"

Van grimaced. He was expecting this. "How can you just agree to marry that princess?"

Hitomi pulled on the feline's arm. "Merle! You promised that you wouldn't say anything!"

Merle turned to her. "I promised nothing!"

"Yes you did!" Hitomi cried. "You said that you wouldn't start--!"

"—Stop making stuff up!"

"Ladies! Do you mind? I just woke up!" Van shouted over their voices to quiet them down. "Thank you." He then proceeded to pull a clean blue shirt over his head.

Once Merle stopped frowning at Hitomi, she looked back at Van. "Since Hitomi just got here, we were wondering if we could go and visit Allen and Millerna in Austria for the day. To, you know, catch up. Hitomi hasn't been here in for a while and she wants to know what her friends are doing."

Van looked at her. Her dirty blonde hair was sticking up and her clothes were wrinkled. He recognized that dress from yesterday and smiled. "You want to go?"

Hitomi smiled. "Yes."

He hesitated. As much as he wanted to go out for the day with his closest female companions, something stopped him. A tiny part of his brain told him not to leave the castle. Van ignored it. "I'll see what I can do."

Quicker than a blink of an eye, Merle had latched on to Hitomi's arm. "See? Was that so hard? Now, what to wear? Oh! I know…Van, come to Hitomi's room when you have the carriage ready!"

"Sure." Van chuckled softly, noticing the terror in Hitomi's face when Merle uttered the phrase, 'What to wear?' "I'll come by in a bit. We'll have breakfast and then leave, okay?"

But Merle and Hitomi had already left. _Figures…_Van smirked, looking for a clean pair of black pants. _She's always liked Allen…_

And part of him grew jealous at this fact.

Van pushed it away and changed quickly. _I better go and ask my driver if he can spare a few hours…_He strode out of the room happily, ready to unite with his old friends. _I guess my combat lessons will have to wait…_ He thought amused.

Van walked over to the side of the bed to pick up his sword. He brought it everywhere. _One can't be too careful…_That's when he noticed that the sheath was empty. _Huh? Where is it? _

He froze. Something told him that it was right where he left it.

On the floor.

* * *

Wow. Another filler chapter…except this one has one vision in it. BTW, when Van is choking and saying "Hi...Hi..." for Hitomi's name, he's pronoucing it like, "Hee...Hee..." (uh...just something to know to further the reading experience...)

Okay, I know. I can't write kissy-kissy make-out scenes….Frankly, maybe it's because I don't get much inspiration in that category…ha ha. So, uh, yeah, please mind the randomness there. I AM NOT A GOOD ROMANCE WRITER.

Poor Van…he's so old fashioned. Gets all blushy when it comes to sex. How I love writing with him. (sings)

Anyway, expect next chapter to be delayed a little because…(dun dun dun) SCHOOL APPROACHES. DIE! Yeah, grade 12 is a tough year, so I'll be concentrating on getting a half-decent scholarship. Please, if you like this story…book-mark it. I don't wanna lose my readers because of education. (ha ha). IT WILL BE COMPLETE; just not as soon as I'd like it to be.

PLEASE REVIEW

P.S. Yeah, Allen and Millerna will be coming in the next chapter with more from Shina and her craziness.  
P.P.S. Thanks for your ideas my lovely reviewers/readers!


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Seriously, when have you seen ANY author on this site own something?

**To all who reviewed: **Thank you SO MUCH. I really appreciate all of your comments! I know that there has been a delay, but I blame school! With my surgery and all, I still get tired…more so after school. I have been saving my energy to write up some more of this story! I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter Eleven**

"Van!" Merle mewed. "Let's go!" Hitomi and her were currently standing in front of the carriage that they would be taking to Austria. Both were waiting for King Van, the 'royal pain in the butt' as Merle called him.

"I'm coming!" Van shouted back at them from the entrance of the castle. Many guards were surrounding him, escorting him to the carriage for safety…just in case.

Satisfied, Merle jumped into the carriage and sat with her legs folded around her and her arms straight out, holding the seat. "Finally! Now we can see Allen, Millerna and Yuki again!"

Hitomi climbed aboard, with some assistance from the driver. "Thank you." She took a seat beside Merle.

"Hey! Don't you want to be beside Van?" Merle whispered, grinning. "Go on! Sit opposite to me. I think Van would like that."

The other girl stuttered. "Uh…Merle…Come on…" Before she could resist, Merle had pushed her to the opposite side and lay down on the seat, blocking any chance for her to sit down beside her again. "Merle!" Hitomi hissed, blushing.

Merle just smiled. "I think Van would really like this…."

Just as Hitomi was ready to talk back, Van entered the carriage with a smile. "Good morning, ladies." He sat on the seat and motioned Hitomi to sit next to him as she was still standing, hunched over, in the middle of the cart. "Sit, Hitomi. It's not a long trip, but you will get tired."

Hitomi sat, but gave Merle a glare anyway. _She'll thank me later on. _Merle stretched, extremely satisfied. _There is NO WAY I'm letting Shina take Van away. I want him to be happy…_

"Driver…To Austria. We will be visiting King Allen and Queen Millerna today." Van said to the driver as he shut the door.

"Yes sire. To Austria it is."

The carriage began to move as the animals marched forward. Hitomi watched the animals from the window. _It's like they're half horse and half llama, or something…_She noted, looking at their interesting body shapes. It had four legs with a lot of fur and long necks. _Gaea never ceases to amaze me._

Hitomi took a moment to take in the scenery of Van's castle. A garden lush with green and multi-coloured flowers came into view as the carriage moved forward. The wind blew in the tall grass making it wave to them.

And in the shadows of the blades…

…something moved.

Her eyes opened in realization. _Something's there! _Before any thoughts of panic came to her head, a logical part reasoned with her. _It's a garden. Obviously animals live there too! It's probably some weird half-horse, half-llama baby or something. You don't know the animals here! It could have been anything!_

Hitomi's thoughts did nothing to ease the knots in her stomach. _It could have been anyone…_

The carriage moved away from the garden and finally into the roads of Fanelia.

And the creature smiled, watching the carriage move farther and farther away. _Just perfect.

* * *

_

"Princess Shina! You were correct! It is a lovely day to be outside!" Advisor Mamoru decreed happily. Shina had asked them if they could spend the day in the gardens since Van had left unexpectedly.

"Do you mind if I looked around in the garden?" She asked sweetly.

"Not at all, your majesty. Would you like an escort?"

"No thank you. I prefer to do my exploring on my own." Shina smiled and chuckled.

"Ah, yes. Well, upon your return, the servants will have lunch prepared for us to eat out here."

"Marvelous. I won't be long, Mamoru." Shina bowed to the advisor and proceeded to walk amongst the tall grass and flowers.

"Lord Van may not see it now, but they will be very happy together." Mamoru said, to the other advisors. Each nodded as Shina slowly disappeared out of sight.

Once she knew all eyes were off her, Shina headed towards the densely covered areas in the garden. _I know it is here somewhere. Next to Folken Fanel's grave! _She growled as her eyes came up with nothing. _Perhaps I'm in the wrong garden? _

Shina continued to move, pushing away all the flowers in her way. Tired, she sat in the grass and placed herself in her meditative position. _Folken was indeed Draconian…_

Focusing her mind on finding traces of a nearby Draconian, she envisioned her black pendant in her mind as it rocked back and forth like a pendulum. Shina looked for a weak trace of it, since Folken has been dead for some time.

Suddenly, the pendant swooshed to the right. Shina looked up quickly, her white hair being blown by the breeze. _My prize is there…_She got up quickly and hunched in the grass. _No prying eyes…_Almost on all fours, Shina followed the direction of where her pendant told her where to go.

Shina moved silently, constantly checking the pendant to make sure she was being pointed in the right direction. About fifteen minutes later, she came upon a forest clearing. Shina had noticed that the grass and the flowers were different from the ones where she started. Standing up, she realized that she was very far away from the castle. Looking around in the dense forest ahead of her, Shina frowned. _Dammit. Where am I? Stupid thing… _She thought, glaring at the pendant.

Moving forward towards the trees, Shina continued to look. _My pendant has never lied to me before…It MUST be around here somewhere…_A light breeze swept through the trees to allow more light and a different perspective between the barks and branches.

And that's when she saw it. Shina etched closer to the entrance of the forest to confirm her suspicions.

She was not disappointed.

Up ahead, almost camouflaged with vines and leaves covering it, sat the legendary Escaflowne.

And the creature smiled.

* * *

"Sire! Sire! A carriage is coming this way!" Called one of the guards to King Allen. With quick grace, Allen was up and at the look-out station. All panic was gone as Allen recognized the royal carriage.

"No need to be alarmed. It is King Van."

"Apologies, my majesty." The man said.

"No worries." Allen dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to some guests."

Walking out with long strides, Allen was content. _I wonder what pleasure I have to get Van's presence…It's been a few years since I've seen him for anything but business meetings._

"Allen?" Millerna's head poked out from Yuki's bedroom. "Where are you going? Who's coming?"

He smiled at his wife. She always had a knack of knowing things. "We have guests."

Millerna's eyes opened. "Oh no! Nothing's ready! I haven't told anyone to prepare anything! I hate it when we have unexpected guests!" She quickly shut Yuki's bedroom door and hurried to the kitchen.

Allen reached for Millerna's shoulder to stop her. "Do you really hate Van?" He smiled.

"What? Van's coming? I didn't mean to say that I hate HIM, I just hate…You know what I mean!" She gave up trying to explain. "Ugh. I guess lunch will be a little before noon. Say hello to Van when he arrives, will you?…I'm going to tell the cook..." Millerna had already disappeared around the corner.

"Sire. Your guests have arrived."

_Guests? Who is Van's company? Merle? Perhaps a new mate? _"I'm coming…" Allen reached the entrance to the castle. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hello Allen." Van smiled at his friend's expression. He paused before continuing. "I'd like to re-introduce you to Hitomi."

A taller, shapelier woman stood behind Van. Her dirty blonde hair was just a little past her shoulders; her eyes were still as green as he remembered. She was in traditional Gaea clothes: a long pale yellow dress with red and green in it. Hitomi smiled and waved at him. "Allen!"

Before he knew it, Allen was embraced by the older woman from the Mystic Moon. He hugged her back with a laugh. "Hitomi! You've returned!"

"How've you been?" Hitomi smiled, getting out of the hug and looking at him. His hair was shorter, about as long as hers was. He was sporting a beard just on his chin. Allen's eyes were still that hypnotizing blue that Hitomi almost fell in love with when she was fifteen.

"I've been well. And you?" Allen rubbed her arms. "You've grown."

Hitomi laughed at his statement. "You sound like my uncle."

Allen smirked. "Oh…I'm lost for words…I never thought I'd see you again…Jeeze, I'm not prepared…How's the Mystic Moon? What happened since I last saw you?"

As Hitomi talked with Allen excitedly, Van watched with a twitching frown.  
_**She kissed him first  
**_His hands tightened into a fist, but only for a moment. He didn't want to ruin anything.

Merle noticed Van's uneasiness and placed her paw on his shoulder gently. She withdrew it quickly when he flinched under her touch. "Van?"

"What is it Merle?"

_She loves you, remember? She told you…_Merle was tempted to talk, but instead said, "Nothing…"

Van returned his gaze to the talking couple--  
_**She kissed him first  
**_--and noticed that they were done. "Van…It is good to see you again." Allen smiled and walked over to him. Outstretching his hand for a hand-shake, Van studied the hand.  
_**He touched her first  
**_"Allen. Good to see you too." Van shook the hand with vigor. "Sorry for the unexpected visit, but, Hitomi came unexpectedly as well…She wanted to see you and Millerna…"

_Before my time is up…_Hitomi thought as she overheard Van.

Allen turned to Merle and smiled. "Merle…I haven't seen you since—"

"—since EVER, Allen!" Merle glared. "What? No hug? Jeeze…What do I have to do to be loved around here?"

"Just as I remember you…" Allen grabbed Merle and hugged her as well.

"Allen? Where is Millerna?" Hitomi asked. She turned around slowly at the sound of footsteps. Then, there was a high-pitched scream.

"OH! HITOMI!" Millerna came running, her long blonde hair flowing behind her. She gripped her friend tightly. "I can't believe it!"

Van smirked. _Hitomi is sure getting her share of love today…_As Millerna talked fast and eagerly about her life since she'd last seen her, Allen ushered him and Merle towards the dining hall.

"Come. We insist you have lunch with us."

"Lunch, Allen?" Merle asked. "It's time for breakfast!"

"Don't complain. My cook's best meals are for lunch." Allen smiled, pulling them a long. Van admired the craftsmanship and elaborate carvings on the walls.

"Allen, how is Austria?" Van asked casually. "Has your treaty of trade with the Laertians been passed?"

"Van, Van…This is no time for business." Allen responded. "Now, I insist, we will talk nothing of trade and economic matters because I don't want Merle to fall asleep."

"Yeah! Like last time!"

"Hitomi, here, sit. You must be tired from your journey….I'll go get Yuki." Millerna appeared, ushering her friend into the dining hall.

"You said she was sleeping…" Hitomi reminded her, not wanting to disrupt the baby's sleep.

"You can still show her Yuki without waking her…Just bring her to her room." Allen suggested.

"Obviously!Come on! I'm sure Yuki would want to see Aunt Merle again!" Millerna pulled both girls out of the room quickly.

Then, it was just Van and Allen. Van sat uncomfortably in the chair, looking the other way while drumming his fingers on the table. He wasn't sure what to ask. The most they had ever talked about that wasn't business was his wedding.

_Great. _"So…Uh…" Van chuckled at his unsocial manners. _Wow, I really can't start a conversation. _

Allen sat down beside him. At once, his face lost the smile and was replaced by seriousness. "Why did she return?"

Van was taken back by the question. "What?"

"Don't play with me, Van. We both know that the last time Hitomi arrived it because she had to do something with that sick plot the Zaibach Empire had…"

"Are you saying that Hitomi brings evil wherever she goes?" Van glared at him through his bangs.

"Van, stop it." Allen leaned closer to him to keep their conversation quiet. "You know what I mean. Why did she come here? What vision did she have?" _Something's going to happen. Things like this don't happen for no reason. Her arrival is out of place…_

"Nothing's happened, Allen." Van said coolly. Something told him not to tell him anything. After all, it wasn't his business.  
_**He touched her first  
**_He wouldn't understand anyway.

Allen glared at Van, studying him closely. "Don't lie to me, Van Fanel."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?"

_What's gotten in to him? He's never this quick to anger. _"Van…"

"What?" The other king snapped.

"I want to help in any way I can. Please…Her arrival is against nature. It doesn't make sense. Something's been disrupted in the universe. Something's wrong…" Allen said strongly, trying to get his point across. "I want to help you if something IS to happen…as a friend…"

"Allen…  
_**He kissed her first  
**_…You're not my friend..." Van hissed under his breath. Part of him didn't even know that he said it. As if another person was talking through his lips.

"We're back!" Merle cried as she entered the room. "Oops! Did I interrupt something?" She asked as she noted that Van and Allen must have been in a conversation as they were sitting facing each other.

"No. Not at all." Van smiled at Merle, his anger vanished in a flash.

"Oh! I think lunch is ready!" Merle pointed to the kitchen doors as two servers appeared with three trays with silver lids on all of them. "I wonder what's inside! No, wait! Don't tell me! I like surprises!" The cat-girl sat across from Van and Allen left his seat to sit at the head of the table.

Hitomi sat in the chair that Allen had left unoccupied. "Yuki is adorable. You sure you don't wanna see her before the meal starts?" She asked Van.

Van smiled uncharacteristically. "You know, I think I will…Excuse me."

"Oh! Let me show you where the room is…" Millerna was about to get up again to lead the way, when Van shook his head.

"Don't worry. I remember where it is. Besides, I like to do my exploring on my own." He chuckled softly and left the room in a few strides.

Allen watched him for a few moments until he turned the corner. "Allen?" Millerna asked, slightly concerned.

"Come, let's eat." _Something's not right…I know it…

* * *

_

Van strolled the hallways quickly, whistling a song his mother used to sing to him. It wasn't until he recognized Yuki's bedroom that he thought about his words to Allen. _Jeeze…What got into me? _He immediately felt horrible. _Oh man...Why didn't I tell him? _

He turned the door handle and walked in quietly, remembering that she was sleeping. Van walked over to her crib and watched her sleep. Her chest rising and falling normally; her eyes fluttering.

Van leaned on the crib's edge. _She sure has grown. She's what…One now?_ He reached out to stroke her thin blonde hair. _You'll forgive me, right? You'll forgive me for being mean to your daddy, right?  
__**He touched her first  
**_Yuki's eyes opened slowly, awakened by Van's rhythmic hand movements on her head. She did not know who the man was and instinctively began to cry.

"Shh…Why are you crying?" Van looked at Yuki's tears sadly. "Come on…Shh…It's Van...Remember?"

He removed his hand. "It's not my fault…Your father should mind his own business." Van told the baby mockingly. "Shh…Stop crying."

But she continued to cry. Van glared at her. He had a feeling that he should make her be quiet. For good?  
**_He touched her last_**

His heart almost stopped. _What the hell is wrong with me? _He backed away from the crib before he could anything he would regret. _My God…What is going on? _Van suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He wasn't acting like himself. Van backed up into the wall, as far away from the crying baby.

"You think I'm a monster too, don't you?"

* * *

OMG…I KNOW I'm so late. I know…school has been killer. STUPID PHYSICS! Honestly…I HATE IT…I've never felt this much loathing for a science, EVER.

But, I can't drop it.

So I'm doomed to complain until I finish the exam.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this! As you can see…Van IS SO NOT acting right…Hmm…I wonder why? Anyway,

PLEASE REVIEW!

PS. I'm SO SO SO SO SO SORRY!


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Seriously, when have you seen ANY author on this site own something?

**To all who reviewed:** Thank you SO MUCH. I really appreciate all of your comments! I love every single one of you! THANK YOU! I know it's been a while…But, once again, BLAME MY EDUCATION…. especially physics (I'm still SO LOST in that class) Anyway, thanks for being patient!

**Chapter Twelve**

The ride home from Allen's and Millerna's castle occurred just as the sun was just past the midway point in the sky. They had stayed later than Van had hoped, but they were finally going back to his home…

…As far away from the three of them as he could get.

Hitomi and Merle talked excitedly about the stories that they heard and questions they forgot to ask them. "You were right! Yuki does look like Millerna more!"

"See, Hitomi? When will you realize that everything I say is true?"

Van stayed quiet, staring at the scenery as the carriage rolled by. He did not understand what was wrong with himself. _I acted like a jerk to Allen…He was just trying to help…And why did I get so angry at Yuki for? It doesn't make any sense……Maybe I'm having a bad day…_His mind concluded that it must have been stress.

Suddenly, the cart was silent. Van, brought out of his self-examination from the silence, looked up. Both females were staring at him. "What?"

"Why are you so quiet?" Hitomi asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No…" Van lied through his teeth. "I'm just…tired."

"Don't give me that, Van Fanel!" Merle scolded. "Something's up!"

Hitomi gave him a worried look. Van almost laughed, as he knew exactly what was going through her head. _She probably suspects that I had a vision or something…I guess her fortune-telling abilities have grown to psychic ones. _"Merle, really…I'm tired. I didn't get a good night's sleep."

_He did have one! I know it! _"Bad dream, Van?" Hitomi asked, seriously, hinting at what she knew.

Maroon eyes locked onto green. "No. Just restless." Hitomi was the first to look away. There was something in Van's eyes that made her uneasy. It was so cold and yet he was mocking her. She saw Van's smirk from underneath his hair. _Something's wrong…I'll talk to him in private…_

Merle grumbled. _Oh! There is something going on all right! They know something that I don't! Van should know to NEVER keep secrets from me!_

Van slouched back into his seat, arms folded and his head turned to the window. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence until Merle started up another conversation. He barely registered what was being said, but all he heard was Hitomi saying, "We should go back."

_Over my dead body.  
**Or hers**

* * *

_

"Hitomi, what are you doing now?" Merle asked from the bed in her room. "I thought you said you finished rearranging your dresser already…" Blue eyes watched the girl from the Mystic Moon open and close her dresser drawers for the second time since they had arrived home.

Hitomi realized this and stopped. "Sorry, I'm just looking for my own clothes."

"I told the laundry people to clean them…They should be—" Before Merle could finish, the other girl cried a triumph, "Found them!"

"Those are your clothes?" The cat-girl asked. "Oh well, I guess that they are an improvement over that weird shirt and skirt combo you had last time."

"Yeah, I guess…" Hitomi proceeded to change quickly. Her track-pants and T-Shirt were much more comfortable than the dresses.

Quiet followed as Hitomi began to tidy her room again. Merle sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. "What's wrong, Merle?"

"I think something's wrong with Van…He isn't acting like himself."

Hitomi nodded. "Yeah…"

"Do you have any idea?"

_Shina…_Her mind pushed. "Maybe he's having a bad day…Maybe it's the wedding…"

"Hitomi…" Merle whined, "…is there something going on between you and Van that you're not telling me?"

She froze. "Um…Uh…Merle…" Hitomi tried to gather her words. _What do I say? Merle is my friend! She has a right to know…But will she like what she hears? _"…I—"

"—Look, I know that Van went to the Mystic Moon. Why did he go? Why didn't you just arrive without him like last time?"

Hitomi stayed silent and busied herself with cleaning. "Tell me! I knew it! I knew that something was going on between you and him! Hitomi! Don't you dare keep secrets from me! I mean, I would tell—"

"—I've been having visions again…"

Merle instantly shut-up. In a quiet voice, she mumbled, "What of?"

"I don't know yet…" Hitomi folded a towel and placed it in its proper place. "But, me and Van think that if something's gonna happen, it's going to happen here."

"Is it bad?"

"I don't know…" She rose from her position on the floor and retreated to the washroom to get any more towels that were misplaced. As she returned to the dresser, Merle came from behind her and hugged her tightly, with her hands wrapped around her abdomen. "Merle!"

"Hitomi…I'll help you in any way I can. Just tell me who to attack, and I'll take care of it with my claws, okay?" The other girl smiled and placed her hands on Merle's, pulling her out of the hug. "Thank you…"

"And I want you to tell me! No more of this secrecy! I want to know…that way I can help!"

"Okay."

"Promise?" Merle held her hand out so they could shake on it. Hitomi nodded. "Promise." And they shook with smiles.

"How much does Van know?"

"He knows. We both have our eyes open."

"Hmph." Merle snorted. "I'll keep my eyes open for Shina…"

Hitomi chuckled a little. "Okay, you do that." She then lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. _It reminds me of Amano and Yukari's cottage…Wood paneling...I wonder who the supply teacher for my class is. I wonder how the principal is taking this…I wonder if anyone is going to file a missing person report on me…_

She heard the mattress crunch softly under the weight of Merle lying down beside her. It broke her thoughts, but Hitomi didn't really care. "What's the Mystic Moon like?"

Slightly taken back by that question, Hitomi paused. "Well, it's like Gaea…But just different. More machines and technology…"

"Do you have gymelufs there?"

"No…But we have other machines like them that are man-operated…Our animals are almost like yours too."

"Are there people like me there?"

Hitomi shook her head. "No…Just people like me…"

"The Mystic Moon must be one boring place then…" Merle concluded. "I mean, without felines like me anyway…A whole world of Hitomi's? Wow…That IS boring."

"Hey!"

"I'm just kidding." Merle laughed. Another pause. "Are there people like Van there?"

"No…" Hitomi closed her eyes, getting comfortable in her bed. "Not many people  
believe in angels on the Mystic Moon…"

* * *

There was a knock on the door. It was a gentle rapping. "You may enter." Van did not look up from his desk as the door opened. "Your majesty."

Adverting his eyes away from the parchment he was reading, he noticed that it was the princess. "Your business?" He didn't say another word and returned to his reading.

"I was…" Shina entered gracefully and sat down in one of the chairs facing Van. "…just looking for you…"

"Yes…and?" Van mumbled, still not looking up. He leaned forward on the desk, trying to make sense of the letter.

"I was wondering if we could discuss the wedding…It is coming soon, you know."

"No, actually I don't."

"Oh, well, um, it is…In about seven days."

Van dropped the document and stared at the blue-eyed princess. It dropped soundlessly onto the desk. "Excuse me?"

Shina made fear trickle into her eyes. "Uh…In one week, sire."

"Impossible." Van leaned back in his chair. "Last time I knew, it was not scheduled to occur in a few months at the least. Why the sudden change?"

The woman sitting across from him did not like the calmness in his voice. _He's too calm for this…_ "The advisors on your council…we met for lunch in the gardens and—"

"—without my consent, yet again." Van's tone dangerously low as he interrupted harshly. "You tell the advisors that I need more time."

"For what, my Lord?" Shina asked innocently.

"None of your business." He snapped. "Are you through? I have some matters to attend to." Van stood from his desk, deciding that he would read the letter at night before he went to sleep. His mind wasn't really focused anyway. _I'll go to combat practice now…Maybe that'll relieve some tension…_

"I don't think that they will comply with your wishes, your majesty." Shina bowed her head and stood as well. Van moved over to where she was and stared her down. "Why not?"

Looking up at him, their eyes finally met. They locked onto each other's gaze and Van's anger seemed to heighten the longer he stared. "Why not?" He asked again after an uncomfortable silence followed. He continued to stare her down when suddenly, Van felt very vulnerable.  
_  
_Shina moved her body closer to his. Her head barely reached his nose, but his height would not be the advantage. They were now chest to chest and she could feel his racing heartbeat.

"Because…"

Van swallowed. "Because why?"

"Because I don't think I'll be able to wait that long…" Shina smiled at him in a way that made Van feel uncomfortable…

Not that he was complaining or anything.

Her slender and pale fingers traced a line along his jaw bone but Van did not move at all. Instead, he went rigid and tried to move away from her touch. _My gods, what is wrong with me? What is she doing to me?_

Even though his mind wanted to move, he didn't. Not even when her hands trailed a path down his chest and abdomen. It left his skin cold. Iced.

Shina leaned in close to his ear—standing slightly on her toes—and whispered, "I don't think you'll be able to wait that long either…"

Van sucked in a loud breath. "You won't last…Will you?" She asked him, smiling in that way again. His throat suddenly went dry.  
_**Choke**  
_Shina looked away from him for a moment, but glanced at his arms moving her fingers along each protruding vein. _I wonder how much blood will flow…if I prick this one…_She dragged her fingers up his arms and over his shoulders. _Not long now…_

The time when she was fixated on his arms, Van had managed to turn his face away. Moving her other hand, she pulled it back into place…maybe a bit more forcefully than she meant to. "Will you, my majesty? Will you?" Blue locked onto maroon and it chilled the darker-eyed man.

_What's happening to me?_ A familiar feeling in his throat became evident after his head was turned back. His body wanted him to respond, for fear that the dryness in his throat may continue to a dangerous level. Van felt as if he wasn't all there anymore…Something was clouding proper judgement…In a haze, he heard himself mumble, "No…I won't…"  
_**You like it, don't you?**  
"No…"  
**Yes…**_

_What's happening to me?_

_

* * *

_

"ONE WEEK!" Merle shouted, loud enough for Hitomi to hear from the washroom. Merle and Van were talking outside in the hallway of the guest chambers and Hitomi managed to hear Merle's angry call WITH the water running.

She crept closer to the doorway of her room to listen in. "Merle, calm down…"

"Calm down? VAN! Do you know what this means? You'll be signing your soul to that—that horrible woman in seven days!"

"Merle…" Hitomi heard footsteps coming towards her. _Oh! If Van sees that I was eavesdropping…_She moved away from the door, but still heard Merle. "I don't want you to marry her!" The pink-haired one said in a demanding tone.

"I don't have a choice!" Van shouted—_He shouted?_—at Merle. She heard the cat growl. "I won't stand for this, Van Fanel!"

"Then sit!"

"I've known you for years! I know what's best for you! Shina definitely is not best for you!"

Before Hitomi could act busy, the door opened and slammed shut with Van entering. It closed right in front of Merle's face.

"I'm not finished with you!" They both heard Merle shout from behind the door. Van smirked and locked the door. Even Hitomi started to laugh as Merle pounded her fists on the wood. "Open this door now, Van Fanel! Open it NOW!"

"Don't worry; she'll get tired eventually…" Van smiled shyly at Hitomi.

"VAN!"

"Merle, I don't want to talk anymore!" He shouted through the door's crack at the cat.

"I'm going to make you talk! OPEN UP!"

"No!"

Hitomi laughed a bit more as the two friends bickered. _Merle is so protective of him…She wants the best for him…_She heard Merle growl. "I'm going to find you! Once you leave this door, I'm going to hunt you down and gut you like a fish! Do you hear me, Van Fanel? I'm going to slice you open until I get my answers!"

"Fine! Cut me up! Now, go away!" Van smiled back at the door, perfectly aware that Merle wouldn't touch him in a life-threatening way.

_It's as if everything is normal with him again…_Hitomi looked on, slightly unsure of Van's actions. _How could he go from one personality to another? _Finally, her good friend silence came as Merle left the guest chambers in a huff.

She looked down at her lap and began to rub them when a sudden draft entered the room. "I'm pretty sure you heard what was going on…right?" Van asked, leaning back on the door.

Hitomi nodded slightly. "I wasn't eavesdropping, Van…It's just that Merle's voice carries…"

Van chuckled. _He's acting normal again…Or is it too normal? _Hitomi watched him intently as he sat on the bed next to her. "Don't worry about it. I was going to tell you anyway, in private, but Merle sorta ruined the 'surprise'…

"The wedding's in a week now. I'm not sure how, but if everything goes according to plan, the wedding is in a week." He paused, staring at her. "I never knew my advisors would make such plans behind my back. I didn't even get a say in this…"

"Well, why don't you take action. I mean, you ARE king…can't you just demand your needs to be met?" Hitomi looked up and saw him staring. It was different…_His eyes…  
**What colour are they?**  
…They're so cold…It is as if their frozen…_His eyebrows were in a slight frown and his lips were quirked upwards in a small half-smirk. After all the other times he had looked at her, she always saw warmth and something special…Now it's if someone took all that away.

_And replaced it with ice._ Hitomi knew herself to only be afraid of spiders, snakes and the occasional lightning storm. But right now, there was something in his eyes that made her terrified of him.

"Hitomi? What's wrong?" He asked, snapping her out of their staring contest.

She shook her head and blushed slightly. "Nothing!" Van moved closer to her. "Did you know that you can't lie? Come on, what's wrong?"

Her brown eyebrows made a frown. "Hey! You can't lie either. When we were coming back here, you said you couldn't sleep last night because you were tired! You lied!"

He laughed. "Congratulations. You're right. I wasn't just restless…"

"You had a vision, didn't you?"

The smirk grew. Hitomi's eyes darted from him to the door several times. _If he does something, I'll make it to the door in time…_She pursed her lips for a brief moment before asking, "What did you see?"

He laughed and the smirk did not disappear. "Believe me, I'd rather show you…"

Her instincts made her jump up from the bed and stand a good distance away from him. Hitomi's heart was beating hard out of fear. Van noticed her actions, and looked up.

In an instant, his eyes—  
_**They're so cold**  
_—were full of concern…_They're normal again...His eyes…_But not even that comfort eased her stomach. "Hitomi?" _He even sounds normal…_

She wanted to believe, but her heart told her not to. "What did you see that making you act like this?"

"What?" Van stood, anger leaking into his eyes. "What are you saying?" He came close to her, eyes changing again.  
_**What colour are they?**  
Ice cold…they've changed again…_He stood close to her and chuckled again, noticing her nervousness of him standing so close. "What? You don't like me anymore? Don't you trust me?"

"Van! Stop it!" She shouted and pushed him away, managing to shove him a few steps back. When her hands touched his body, a chill ran through her… "You're not acting like yourself!"

"I am acting like myself, what are you talking about?" He asked, keeping his distance from her. His tone dropped a few octaves as he changed the subject. "Don't you want to know what I saw?"

Hitomi felt her own anger rising. "No! Get out! You can tell me when you're acting right! Go let Merle cut you up! Get out of my room! Don't speak to me until you've returned to normal!" She wanted to take back a few words that she said, but she knew it was too late. Even though she knew she was a bit harsh, she stood by what she said. _Until you're the Van that I remember, I don't want to be in the same room as you! Van…I don't trust you right now…_

They both stood there, silently for a few minutes. Without another moment of hesitation from him, Van turned and left Hitomi to stand alone, breathing hard. _I don't know who you are…How could you of changed so quickly? _

In an instant, her mind thought of an answer_. Shina…_She knew she would have to do her research on her.

* * *

"Lord Van…You are seven hours late for battle practice. I guess punctuality does not run in the royal bloodline…" A short man smiled as a familiar figure cast a shadow in the candle-lit room. The man folded his arms and listened as the material of his robes made a 'swoosh' sound in the room.

"Shut-up, old man." Van narrowed his eyes. "Not in the mood for your insults."

"Now, now…" The teacher chimed. "What can I do for you?"

"What do you think? I'm here for my practice…I may be seven hours late, but I need to let out some steam."

"My king, you have never used combat to relieve anger…"

"Let's just say I had a bad day…" Van unsheathed his sword hastily and glared at his instructor. "Well, what are we waiting for? Didn't you say I need my practice?"

"Yes. Let us start with our preliminary drills…" The man slowly stood and began to prepare the necessary equipment they would be using. _My warrior, I said that you needed more practice because you are usually so peaceful and non-violent…The anger that stirs in your soul will not help you here…_He looked at his pupil with sad, grey eyes. _What troubles you, my majesty?

* * *

__I wonder where Van is…_Hitomi was currently lost in the maze of his castle, idly looking for the king. _I don't care how scary he is, I…We need to talk. Both of us need to figure this out…_Listening closely for any sounds of people, she heard some ruckus straight ahead. _Even if that isn't him, I'll ask whoever to help me find him._

Hitomi had talked long with Merle afterwards. The cat told her that the only time she had ever seen him act out of his usual character was this one time where someone had insulted and threatened him and his family for being Draconian. "He thought he was a monster…I've never seen his wings since then…" Merle had told her. "Poor Van was really depressed after that for a while."

But even then, he was not acting THIS strangely. Merle had promised to keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour from, "You know who…" and Hitomi did as well. She also asked Merle if Van had told her of any weird dreams he was having. Her reply was a 'no.' Both females went out to look for him and try to talk.

And now, Hitomi regretted saying, "Let's split up. We'll cover more ground that way." Usually, it would have worked, but not when one person doesn't know the grounds very well. But, Hitomi continued to move in the direction where the most sound was coming from.

_Oh! Finally! A door! _Hitomi had come across many handles—all of which were locked—but did not see a door for the past few minutes. This one was already ajar, so she peeked her head in and was about to ask if anyone knew where Van was when she saw him.

His back was towards her but she saw a person made of straw in front of him. Then, he charged. Swiftly, he brought his sword out of his sheath and in three quick strikes, the left arm of the dummy was cut off. It fell on the ground almost silently and Hitomi could hear Van's hard breathing.

"Good, my king. Now, a final attack." A voice from inside the dimly lit room ordered. Hitomi scanned the room for the man, but could not see anyone but Van. He was currently crouched a few steps behind the straw dummy and in the blink of an eye, his sword shot out and swung around…hitting the straw-man' neck.

It was so easily decapitated that Hitomi touched her own neck in shock that for some reason, her head would fall off too and land limply on the floor. Pieces of straw littered the floor and she continued to watch.

There was something about the way Van made his attack that reminded her of her worst vision.  
_**And he crashed it upon her head**  
_She was so transfixed in her own daze that she didn't even realize when Van was suddenly at the door. "Hitomi?"

Her eyes shot upwards and noticed that his eyes were as she remembered them. _They've been melted…_ "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—!"

Van interrupted with a small chuckle. _He's warmed up again…_ "Don't worry, Hitomi…I don't mind an audience when I practice. It makes me wanna use my good moves."

Hitomi blinked and nodded, smiling. "How are you feeling?" She asked, timidly.

He looked at her. "Much better, actually…It's okay to talk to you now, right?"

And this time, Hitomi saw that he was himself again; that the dark and cold cloud that had consumed him the few hours before had disappeared. She no longer felt scared in his presence. _He's okay again…_

The sound of his sword being placed back in its sheath interrupted Hitomi's thoughts. "Do you need a guide back to your room?"

"Yeah…"

"Does no one listen to me when I give the tour?" Van smiled and reached for Hitomi's hand.  
_**They're so cold**_  
It was warm. Just as she remembered it. _Normal…_It tingled her fingers and the heat from his body swept through hers, making her experience a feeling that made her just want to cuddle up in a blanket and fall asleep…

And for that instant, Hitomi felt safe…just like all the other times he touched her. But her mind warned her. _We still don't know what made Van act that way…We still don't know if it'll happen again…_

…_Or if he'll be able to snap out of it the next time…

* * *

_

**I KNOW!** I'm, once again, **LATE** for updates. School has been a killer, and you should be happy that I used up some of my Thanksgiving holidays to write this 12-paged chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!

As you can see, Van's weird behaviour has seen to be cured by practicing his sword moves. Now that Hitomi and Merle are in on it, they'll both be on the look-out…Allen and Millerna may be coming back into the story later…Not sure about that—any ideas?  
_Next chapter preview: _A vision, a confrontation and a plan getting into action (as of right now, anyway…I might change my mind…ha ha)

To all the Canadians who read this: HAPPY TURKEY DAY!  
To the Americans: HAPPY TURKEY DAY…in one month and a bit…(ha ha)

Well, wherever you are from,

PLEASE REVIEW!  
(now, I'm off to study for my history test…yeah!)  
_  
_**PS.** OMG, it's almost my three-month anniversary for my surgery! WOOT WOOT! Oct. 11th marks three months since I went into the O.R. …that means only three months to go and I'll be able to do all the things I used to! Celebrate!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Seriously, when have you seen ANY author on this site own something?

**To all who reviewed: **OMG. Thanks! HUGS FOR EVERYONE!

**Cev:** Yeah, it was because I was rushing…This time, I'm gonna try to rekindle my writing style!Anyway, hope you enjoy this one!

**Chapter Thirteen**

He couldn't believe it. Merle had gone so far as to cutting up his shirt and slapping him on the cheek. That was the first time she had ever gotten so close as to totally going through with her threats. _Next time, I'll be more careful…_Van thought, holding onto the cold, wet cloth that was pressed up against his new sore.

But, it wasn't HIS fault that they changed the date. She shouldn't have killed the messenger. _It's not like I have a choice…I know that she may not like it, but there's nothing I can do…_

"Van, do you want me to get some gauze? I think it's bleeding." Hitomi smirked, removing the cloth to see a fine trickle of blood running down his cheek. "This is the first time she went that far, right?"

"Yeah…Really? It's bleeding? I didn't know she used her nails…" Van touched the cheek and indeed saw a stain of red on his hand. "Don't worry about getting gauze, it feels pretty small."

"Alright…" Hitomi placed the cloth in the bucket with cold water and placed it back on his cheek. "This'll keep the swelling down."

"Oh, if this thing gets any bigger…" Van tried to be intimidating again by pretending to curse Merle. "…she'll pay, I swear…" The whole charade was ruined because he laughed afterwards.

Hitomi smiled; after all, he did it once to her before. _His mannerisms are still the same…Good. _"Van?"

He turned to her. "Yeah?"

"Maybe you don't remember, but," Hitomi got up from the floor and sat down on her bed beside him, "you told me that you had a vision."

_Oh no…What did I say? _Van dissected his memory as to what he could have possibly said of the vision in question. Strangely enough, he couldn't remember a thing. _If Hitomi said that I did...but when did I say it? Maybe sleep-talking? I know I haven't been intoxicated lately…_

"Well, by your silence, I guess you don't remember mentioning it…" Hitomi mused. _Doesn't he remember? It's not like it happened a day ago…it was barely two hours!_

"Uh…um…no I don't…" Van looked away. _Why can't I remember? _It seemed as if the last couple of hours between their visit to Allen and his combat practice were cloudy.

_How could he not? _Hitomi stared at his profile. Then, it hit her. The painful truth hit. _God…the way he was acting…the only way he could forget his actions would be if he wasn't there... _

Green eyes opened to the fullest in realization. Hitomi didn't even notice that the room around her was getting darker._…He wasn't there…Something—  
**Someone  
**—was thinking for him…Van was… _

"Hitomi?" Van looked back at her to see the she was wide-eyed. Suddenly, he got scared again. "Hitomi? Are you—? Snap out of it!" She wasn't blinking. Just staring. He shook her lightly by grabbing onto her shoulders. "Hitomi!"

_Someone was thinking for him…_

"Hitomi! Come on!" She was staring right at him, but Van knew she couldn't see him. _She must be having a vision…Of what? _"Hitomi!"

_He was…he was…_

The pendant began to glow again and it levitated up from Hitomi's neck. "Hitomi! Speak! Say something! Anything!"

_He was… _In her line of sight, everything went dark. The room was filled with dark blue and black clouds. Even her own skin colour changed to a blue hue. Her eyes could not see anything but the darkness in front of her.

Suddenly, the one with the angry blue eye was there. It appeared without warning; it just materialized out of thin air. The details on its face were illuminated from the eye. Its eyebrows were in a deep frown but its lips were curled into a smile.

Hitomi stared. She couldn't do anything else but stare at the angry thing. It moved closer to her, but its face never became any clearer. Just like in a bad movie, it moved from far away to right close to her face without moving…As if someone cut and paste its body to the different locations along its path to her.

Its hair swished around them like a dark cloud. Hitomi could feel her throat closing and her mind getting foggy. It leaned close to her ear and for the first time, Hitomi heard its voice. "You have no right to know…"  
**_Leave_**

In a flash, the image of the thing disappeared along with Hitomi's train of thought and earth, as always, cracked under her feet. Even though this time, Hitomi did not even think of trying to go back up again, the bloody hands returned. She didn't even scream this time.

She knew, something told her, that no one would hear her anyway…

The girl barely felt the hands pull her. Maybe she was just falling, she didn't know. Whatever was happening, the girl understood one thing: she was falling further into the darkness…

…where it lived…

"HITOMI!"

The darkness lifted and there was Van. Hitomi blinked several times and waited until the dizzy feeling passed. Her mind was blank and continued to be silent. They both stared at each other for some time. The female having an unhealthy colour in her face and eyes. "Hitomi? Please, say something…"

For many moments, it felt as if she forgot how to speak…as if everything that she ever knew was deleted from her brain. In that moment, she didn't even know where she was or who she was. Everything she ever knew was gone. She mumbled something that didn't sound like English to Van and fell forward into his arms.

The girl's head was resting on his shoulder, her eyes cast downward...Their colour a greenish haze. Before she drifted into her fainting spell, the pendant shone brightly. The girl did not understand why…

The pendant made some of the fuzzy haze in her brain become sharper. And without warning, a single word came into her thoughts.

…_possessed…

* * *

_

"Lord Van?" The door to the infirmary creaked open a bit and in popped Merle's furry pink hair and face. Her eyes suddenly became sad. _Hitomi's still asleep…She's been like that for hours now…And he hasn't left her side…_Blue eyes watched as Van's head lifted from the cot and turned to her.

"Yes Merle?" She didn't know it was possible, but depression leaked into his words.

Merle moved a bit closer, scared that any excess movement would cause the world to collapse around her. _Or his world…_ "How is she doing?"

Van turned his head back to the cot. Hitomi was sleeping…_Yes…Sleeping…She fainted and she's just sleeping…_Her hair was tucked neatly behind her head but her clothes were a bit ruffled. Her whole body was motionless—  
_**Cold  
**_—but Van continue to reassure himself…_Yes, sleeping…_He had been at her side since she fainted in his room hours before.

And the entire time, the pendant was aglow.

"Her condition is the same…" He finally answered Merle's question after a long pause of silence.

"Do they know what's wrong?" The feline asked, in reference to the doctors.

Van shook his head. "It wasn't very nice when I ran into at least three of the advisors on the council on my way here…I have some explaining to do…Shit…"

Merle sat on the empty chair beside him. "Don't worry about it…Those morons won't understand anyway…"

"That's the problem…" The raven-haired man muttered as his put his head on the cot beside Hitomi's—  
**_She won't wake up  
_**—body.

The feline punched him in the shoulder. "Don't worry about those inbred bastards! Worry about her!" She shouted at him. "She needs your help!"

Van looked up sadly. "There's not much I can do for her but to wait…until she wakes up…"

"Van! Stop it!" Merle pleaded. "You're making me depressed! She's going to be fine! Hitomi's gotten outta weirder things before!"

"I know…She's strong…" Van looked back at Hitomi. "But the way she looked at me before she fainted…"

"What?"

"…Her eyes were so confused. As if she never knew who I was…As if she never knew where she was…Her gaze was so…so…"

"So…what?"

The appropriate word finally came to him. "…empty…Her gaze was so empty before she fainted."

Merle sulked in her chair. "Did she have, you know, another vision, do you think?" Her blue eyes were looking at the interesting tiles on the floor.

Van kept his head down. "How do you know about that?"

Merle looked at him sheepishly. "You can never keep secrets from me, Van Fanel."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I think so…" His gaze became solemn again. "I don't know what she saw to make her like this…I don't think I want to know.."

"Why is the pendant glowing?"

Van remained silent, and held Hitomi's hand, rubbing it gently. _Come on…Come on, Hitomi…You can make it…_All the while, he was fixated on the pendant's glow. "I don't know…"

Merle sat with him, occasionally making conversation with him when the silence was too thick. They sat and sat and waited and waited. The feline watched Van. His dark eyes were brightened slightly from the pendant and were cast on Hitomi's body. He did not move at all. His whole body stiffened whenever he thought that Hitomi's chest was not going to rise after it fell.

And Merle noticed this. _He thinks she's going to die…_Merle almost cried, but realized that Van needed her to be strong too. Although she had no proof, his mannerisms towards Hitomi's sleeping form made her make conclusions. _He left too many things unsaid, and now he wishes that he didn't! Oh, Van! Hitomi WILL wake up to hear what you have to say!_

Silence, their good friend, followed them into the infirmary. Once the room was cast in the glow of the moon and two candles, Van spoke suddenly. The sound made Merle almost jump out of her seat in which she had almost fallen asleep on.

"Something's gonna happen Merle…We don't know what, yet…" He paused. "Both of us are having dreams; dreams about…blood. Hitomi says that there is someone, some higher power that's calling the shots. She's seen her in her dreams, but I haven't. Today, I can barely remember anything that happened after we came back from Allen's castle…

"We're both having weird visions about darkness and falling and death. Both of us are trying, but we don't know what's going to happen. I think whoever is in charge is putting Hitomi through this, Merle. Whoever is making her see these things is out to get her."

"What does it want?" Merle asked, soaking all the information up.

"We don't know and that's the problem!" He growled, sinking his head further into the cot where Hitomi was sleeping. "I think that it wants Hitomi gone because she has the ability to see these things…"

Merle looked up from her chair. "But, Lord Van…If you claim you are having visions too, why isn't that thing after you too?"

Van's head shot up in realization. _She's right…That thing should be after me too…_Looking back down at the pendant, the king realized something else. _Maybe only Hitomi is going through this because she's in the way…_

…_since I am what the thing really wants…

* * *

_

Sunlight streamed in to illuminate the room. It highlighted the frames of the two people sleeping. Van refused to sleep and it showed. His eyes were visibly tired and rimmed with bags.

Hitomi, however, continued to sleep throughout the night. Merle had drifted off a little bit after their conversation of what exactly was going on. He had lied her down on an empty cot and tucked her in, returning to Hitomi's side afterwards.

Van took in the beauty that he saw when the sun hit Hitomi's face at the right spot. He smiled lightly. _So beautiful…_But then, Van looked at her face curiously. _There's something missing…_

That's when he realized that the pendant stopped glowing. Its pink light that had been glowing on her features was gone. In an instant, he panicked. _Oh gods! What's going on? _He watched her intensely with wide eyes to see that she was stirring in her sleep. Her eyelids were fluttering and for the first time, she moved onto her side.

Van was speechless. It was as if whatever had made Hitomi immobile was gone. She was okay. She was no longer under any spell…The pendant must have been the savior. _Now, she's really sleeping…_Unlike before, Hitomi's body movement appeared more sleep-like, with her eyes moving under her eyelids and her ability to move around.

Before, it was as if she was…  
_**Her blood  
**__No! Stop it! She's fine. She's okay! Hitomi made it! _Although he didn't want to wake the sleeping beauty, he had to be sure, "Hitomi?" He shook her lightly.

Hitomi groaned. "Mmph…" She twitched under his hand.

"Come on, wake up!" Van chuckled and shook a bit harder. "Mmph…Stop it…" Hitomi mumbled, trying to move away from the offending hand. "I don't have to go to school today…"

He played along. "Yes you do…And you're going to be late…It starts in ten minutes…" And at that statement, her eyes opened quickly and she sat upright on the cot. "God! Why didn't you wake me up--?" Hitomi paused, realizing that she was still in Gaea. "Huh?"

Van smiled. "You're okay…Hitomi…" He got up from the chair that he had been sitting in all night and joined her on the cot. In an instant, he had his arms around her. "You're okay…Gods, she's okay…" _I've never been this scared in my life._

Hitomi looked at him. "What are you doing, Van?" She looked at him quizzically. "What are we doing in this room? Where are we, anyway--?" Before she could finish, Van pulled her closer to him and kissed her, not letting her say another word.

He cupped her face in his hands to hold her in that position. Getting bolder and letting his emotions out of control, he opened his mouth, which consequently opened hers too, and slipped his tongue inside. It felt like nothing he had ever felt before. Nothing could describe the feeling…It was almost surreal.

Finally, the call of oxygen came back and Van was forced to pull away. Almost panting, they looked at each other, noticing one another's flushed faces and lips. "Van…" Hitomi whispered. "What was that for?"

"I thought I was going to lose you…" He mumbled back.

"Why?"

He furrowed his gaze. "What?"

Worry came into her green eyes. "Why did you think that you were going to lose me?"

"I—Don't you—You fainted and—How could you not remember?" Van stuttered, not believing that she didn't know. _How could she not know? _

Hitomi looked at him strangely. "I don't understand…"

Dark eyes met green. "What DO you remember?"

She looked around thoughtfully, in deep concentration. "Well, since I got here, I remember meeting Allen and Millerna and Yuki…I remember you and Merle…"

"Okay…What about visions?" Van asked, realizing that she at least knew where she was and who she knew and how she got here. He questioned her about the visions apprehensively.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'What'?" Van's face was covered with worry.

"What visions?" Hitomi blinked several times, searching her mind for any traces of visions. She knew about the ones she had the first time she came here…But nothing came to her that was recent. "Van, what's wrong?" She noticed his face was filled with concern.

_Oh gods…someone has wiped her memory clean of them…Oh no…Whatever thing she saw before this incident made her forget…God no… _"Hitomi, please, try and remember…"

"No…I don't know what visions you are talking about…" She repeated, growing more worried than he. "Am I supposed to have them? Why? What's going on? Van! Please! Tell me!"

Van's heart was racing. _Oh gods…She doesn't know anything…She's forgotten everything about our plan to save my planet… _Hitomi had begun to cry softly. "Van! Please! Why can't I remember? What's going on?" He had lost his voice and instead, pulled her into another hug.

She felt strangely alien in his arms, but comforted too. Hitomi continued to cry out of frustration. _Why don't I remember? What is going on? God, something's happening…How can it be that Van remembers and I don't? It doesn't make sense…_Hitomi tried again to search her memory for something, anything, that could be or be related to a vision.

But found nothing…  
_**Empty  
**__Oh God, please…Something's very very wrong…

* * *

_

"Your majesty! How could you do this to your bride! This is an adulterous act!" One of Van's advisors scolded.

"I was not—!" Van started to say, anger rising, but bit his tongue and calmed down. "I did not dishonour anyone. We have done nothing but enjoy one another's company."

"Lord Van, I do not think you see the seriousness of this situation!"

Van's control was about to snap. He held it. "We are nothing but acquaintances…" Van lied through his teeth. If anything, he'd rather be marrying Hitomi, and he knew it.

"But why is she here? When did she arrive?"

"She arrived with me when you inbred bastards were away making plans to make a wedding that I had no idea about…" Van smiled, using that word that Merle used to describe them.

The advisors looked from one person to another. "You have relations with her?" Mamoru asked.

"Nothing but friendship since the day you told me about the wedding." Van growled.

"Where is she from?"

He was so close to blurting out that Hitomi was from the Mystic Moon, but knew that that piece of information would keep him here until tomorrow. "She's from a magical palace from far, far away…" He muttered, jokingly.

"The people of Fanelia will not be amused to see their king hanging around simple people…She does not have the attire of real nobility, my lord."

Van shrugged and proceeded to get up. "Well, frankly, I don't care about what ANY of you have to say. So, you can just continue to talk amongst yourselves because I'm leaving…That's all you seem to do, isn't it?" He turned and headed to the door.

"Your majesty! Please!" His favourite advisor, Haru, stopped him before leaving. His old, kind eyes looked at him. "Tell us who this strange woman is…We can be of assistance…"

Van scoffed. "Yeah, right. Real helpful…You guys have solved all my problems before, haven't you?" He pushed past him and exited quickly. _Well, that didn't go well...One hour of shouting…Jeeze…

* * *

_

_I wonder how little Hitomi is coping with the loss of her precious visions…_Shina smiled as she left her room to find hers. _Now, they are back to square one. With Van under me and Hitomi unable to remember, I'm at the advantage._

Shina walked swiftly, trying to not make much noise. _Once Van can not resist me anymore, I will succeed in destroying this planet…_

…_Just like I always do…_

And her pendant glowed.

* * *

The king walked around the castle for some time, just watching the scenery of the doors and walls pass him. Finally, he returned to the guest chambers to see that Hitomi's door was open.

And that Shina was standing outside it. "HEY!" Van shouted at her, fear for Hitomi coming through.

Something told him to get Shina as far away from Hitomi as possible.

The princess turned around, focusing her eyes on him. With quick paces, they met in the middle. "Who is she?" She demanded.

"None of your business…" Van glared.

"Excuse me? I think, as your wife, that it IS my business! Holding other woman under your care…Is that where you go after dinner, hmm? To her?"

"Get out of my way…" He tried to push past her, but she blocked him. "No." She stood defiantly. "Not until you tell me who she is and why you are always around her."

Van tilted his head, smiling. "Now, why would I tell you that?"

"Because I have a right to know what other women you hang around with! I am your wife!"

Van shook his head. "No…not yet."

Shina, uncharacteristically, frowned at him. She grabbed onto his arm.  
_**Cold  
**_"Tell me."

He pushed her hand away, still feeling her cold touch lingering on his arm, freezing it. "You have no right to know."

And the creature smiled.

Finally, Van moved away from her and left her alone as he entered Hitomi's room again to check on her. Merle was keeping her company and trying to help her remember the visions.

As he entered, Merle looked up and shook her head, knowing what his question would be. "Nothing yet…She can't remember…"

"No…What did Shina say?" Van asked.

"Nothing…She was about to come through the door when you came. I was this close," Merle held up two fingers with a narrow margin in between them, "to clawing her eyes out."

He sat next to a distraught Hitomi. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess…" She muttered. "I can't remember, Van…" Her lips quivered when she added that last statement. "I'm sorry! I can't! Not even the pendant can help…"

"It's okay…You told me most of them…" Van said. "I'll tell them to you…"

"If I get any more, I'm going to write them down…I swear, all of them to every detail…Then, I can't forget!" Hitomi, fueled with new optimism, looked up at Van and smiled.

"See, Hitomi? It'll be okay!" Merle smiled with her, holing her hands. "Uh…Van, are you gonna stay here? I have to use the washroom…"

"Yeah, go ahead…I told you that we'd take turns…" As Merle exited, Hitomi's smile dropped. "Hitomi?"

"There was something about that woman…Shina is her name, right?...I don't like the feeling I get from her…" She mumbled, just so he could hear.

Van, noticing that his cold arm had not warmed up yet, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me neither…"

"Do you think that she's…?" She let her sentence trail off and waited for Van to answer.

But he remained quiet.

Something was not letting him give a response.

And suddenly, when Hitomi looked in his eyes, it looked so…so…  
**_Cold  
_**_Something's in his eyes…  
__**Empty

* * *

**_

0.o Wow…That was one WEIRD chapter…Didn't turn out like I wanted it to…

Well, not much to say here. Hope you enjoyed it…

PLEASE REVIEW


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Seriously, when have you seen ANY author on this site own something? 

**To all who reviewed:** THANK YOU! I'm SO SO SO SO SO sorry! I've been really depressed lately …I've had a school overload…and I've lost my writing spirit! (is sad) But, for my fans (YOU GUYS!) I want to continue! So, enjoy!

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Sire! Sire!" An attendant called from his post, closing his telescope and waving over Allen. The blonde haired man ran over quickly. "What is it?"

"Look! Over there!" The man handed Allen the telescope and pointed in the general direction of the disturbance. Focusing in, Allen spotted a dark chariot…many chariots…approaching the fort. It took him a while to recognize the country flag but when he did, he feared it.

"Who is it?"

Allen closed the portable telescope and with a stern voice, he replied, "The Yoshidarians…and I do not believe that they are here on friendly terms. Get arms ready." He quickly strode out of the room, shifting through the bodies of his army men who were getting ready and walked into his castle.

Millerna's head popped out of Yuki's room. "Honey? What's going on?" She had heard the commotion of the soldiers.

He sighed. "Come quickly and get Yuki out of bed…I think we are preparing for war."

Allen walked past his wife and child to the chambers where he kept his guymelf. _It's been a long time…

* * *

_

"Princess, where do these flowers go?" A servant asked, holding up the white lilies. Shina pointed to the altar.

"They go around the canopy…"

"Yes, m'lady."

The preparations for the wedding were in full swing. The servants of the Fanelian castle were currently setting up the garden with flowers and sitting arrangements. The chefs were planning for the feast and the advisors were out sending out invitations to other kings and queens in the neighbouring area that knew King Van or Princess Shina.

Everything was coming together.

And the wedding was only a day away.

_Everything is looking perfect…_Shina smiled, admiring her decorating skills. She had already had a fitting for her dress and it was just beautiful. It was a crisp, white colour with tiny diamonds along the bottom. Considering the other dresses they had seen, hers was the simplest. _I doubt I'll get good use out of it…_

"My Lord! Please come out! You need to approve—"

"—Alright…I'm coming…" Came the voices from the entranceway. The future groom was being pulled out of the castle by one of his attendants. Turning her head, Shina noticed that Van had an unhappy look on his face and that Merle and Hitomi had followed him.

He squinted in the bright light as he came out. Barely looking at the arrangement, he gave a quick answer. "It looks fine." Van was about to turn around and reenter the castle, but Shina picked up her dress and ran to catch him.

"My king, please…I'd like to show you around…" She said, slightly out of breath.

Van looked at her with a bored expression on his face. "I'd rather drive nails in my skull…I'm not one to care about this kind of thing. Just…keep doing what you're doing…"

"Yeah! Besides, we have more important things to do, don't we Van?" Merle added. Shina gave her a glare that went unnoticed by everyone but Hitomi.

_That face…_She thought. _Van said that in one of my visions that I saw a figure…Her face is so…familiar…_It had been a few days ago since Van had told her of every vision that she had told him before she got this selective amnesia. They had been working on some solutions and explanations to them and they had gotten pretty far, her, Merle and Van.

They had to stay out of sight from everyone. Van locked all three of them in the bathroom once to escape getting his wedding garments fitted. It was hard, but they managed to stay together and work most of the time.

He had told her everything…even a vision that was—well, for lack of a better word—embarrassing for Van to even repeat. The vision that was tough to swallow was the one of her death. She went hysterical on Merle and Van at that point. _But, that doesn't matter now…As long as I have these things down on paper, I can work with them…_Hitomi told herself. She also told herself not to forget Shina's face.

And her angry eyes…

* * *

"YOU SEE! I TOLD YOU!" Merle shouted, pointing a clawed finger at Hitomi and Van after Hitomi told them of her suspicions of Shina. "I TOLD you guys that she was no good!"

"Merle, please…" Hitomi tried to keep the conversation quiet. Shina was just a few doors down from them. They had returned from the gardens after being forced to look at the altar and all the other stuff everyone but Van had planned. It seemed that they were always in her room…working non-stop. The days had flown by and they were still unsure as to who would be doing this…and why. They had some good points but they could be easily contradicted. _This is so frustrating…_

Van continued to tell Merle to keep quiet. The princess was trying on her dress in her guest room…but tomorrow night, by custom, she would share Van's room.

That was also tough to swallow.

Everything that was happening was too fast for Hitomi. Without her visions and only having the parts that Van knew about—that were not enough—she was lost. There were probably crucial details she was missing. She figured that this is what that someone—  
**_Shina  
_**—wanted. They must know her power and want that to be taken away from her so she could not stop them._ But, they forget that I have Van…_Hitomi thought. However, her trust in her friend was dwindling.

He'd been acting strange again.

Staying too quiet…being overly aggressive at times…Van was totally out of character again. The only times she had seen him normal or close to it was after his battle practice…

Hitomi knew why he was acting strange. The amnesia may have taken away her visions, but not her thoughts. Van was possessed by something—  
**_Someone_**  
—that was making him act this way…and he was fighting back against whatever power was trying to control him.  
**_Shina_**

_Please Van; be strong…Keep fighting this thing…_Hitomi looked at him as Merle continued to rant._ I need you…_

"Merle! SHH!" Van put a finger to his lips and finally getting through to her. "Shina can probably hear you!"

"I don't care! I want her out! We have our evidence!" _Maybe NOW the stupid wedding will be cancelled!_

"Yeah, but no proof…No one's gonna believe in what I saw…I'm just the girl that's complicating the wedding, remember? They're just gonna think that I'm trying to wreck things." Hitomi replied.

"I'd hate to put the damper on things, but it's true Merle…" Van confirmed sadly. His head was down and his arms were on top of his legs making his whole body lean towards the ground. _I am going to be married _tomorrow_…and we've still haven't gotten far enough…_

Merle sat on Van's other side to pat his back. "Oh…Van…"

Hitomi looked straight ahead, trying to get her thoughts together. _There is always some sort of death going on in each of the visions…That must mean that something along the lines of a battle will occur…Falling and reaching are there too...Grabbing for answers? Holding on to life? Falling into death? And the pendant! In each of the visions, as I've told Van, the pendant is always there…still pink. Yet, the background is always black. Darkness? Evil? …Eyes are also a big thing in the visions; specifically blue._

_Shina does have blue eyes and definitely has the power to start a war…so does that advisor—the one in charge of military matters…and so does Allen. But, Allen does not have powers to make someone possessed…and neither does Shina…Or do they? This IS a different universe…Maybe they've hired witches…_ Hitomi grumbled and huffed aloud. She looked at her pad of paper and jotted down a few more points.

_But, even if they COULD get witches to make this stuff happen…what is their reason? Allen has nothing to gain…Austria and Fanelia are allies. Taking over either country would screw up that treaty that Millerna was talking about…Shina doesn't really either. After all, by marriage, she'd get the land anyway…_

Hitomi looked at her pendant…looked at the pink colour and the light that it reflected from the window. _What else does Van have that other people might want?_ Her eyes focused on the pink light it was illuminating and suddenly, the answer came to her. It was so quick that she gasped. Standing up, she turned to both of them and shouted it in the quietness of the room.

"ESCAFLOWNE!"

Merle gave her the weirdest look. "What are you talking about?"

"Esca—Van's guymelf! It's probably what the people want!"

"What?" She asked again.

"You think so?" Van asked, looking up.

"Yes! It's a logical answer! That's the one thing that no one else has!" Hitomi tried to explain and was talking so quickly Van had a hard time keeping up. "Look, if a war were to break out over land wouldn't make any sense! The people behind this would not go through all this stuff! It has to be more important that that! And what's more important than Escaflowne?"

"But, Hitomi…" He started.

"What, Van?"

"…We've been through this…Even if the person was after Escaflowne, they'd need an energist and my blood. And even then it might not work…"

"Van! Van! Don't you see?" Hitomi's mind was firing out solutions faster than her mouth could keep up. She knew the limitations of Escaflowne, but… "What if…What if we aren't dealing with any normal human being? I mean; something that can make me forget my visions must be one powerful thing, right?"

"Yeah—" Van stood in front of Hitomi to debate, but was interrupted.

"—And—And you even said that—that when I had my visions of the blue eye I said that the thing there…something wasn't right…You told me that, Van!" Hitomi almost screamed. "Gaea is different! You guys have magic and things that do not exist on Earth…Maybe the thing behind this is a sorceress of sorts!" Hitomi continued to ramble on.

"Hitomi! Hiotmi!" Van interrupted, wanting to get his two cents in before she continued. "Why would this thing WANT Escaflowne? It's been dormant for years now!"

Hitomi looked at Van and noticed that his eyes were slightly cloudy. _Fight Van!_ "Gaea may have magic, but its people are like Earth's people…It wants the power of Escaflowne. The power of destruction, Van…"

His eyes opened in realization and the whole room went silent. "Hitomi—"

The next words out of his mouth were not heard as a knock on the door interrupted him. The three of them exchanged glances as they figured that whoever was behind the door had heard them. _Oh no…_

Van walked as casually as he could towards the door and motioned for the two women to get out of sight. Merle and Hitomi jumped behind the bed, away from the visitor's view but they were still in view of the door.

He turned the knob and Shina's face greeted his.

_Oh no…  
_  
"Hello, Lord Van." She addressed politely. That's when Van noticed that she was in her wedding dress. His eyes traveled from Shina's eyes down and then back up and before he could stop it, a compliment ran through his head. _She looks beautiful…_A faint glow of red went to his cheeks but it went away quickly as Van wanted to take back the thought. "Yes?" He managed to say.

Shina smiled and shifted on her feet. "I was wondering if you liked my dress…" She motioned her hand to display her dress and smiled again.

From where Hitomi was kneeling behind the bed, she gasped.

Shina's smile, from the innocent curl of her lips, became twisted and menacing as if it was a trick with the light. Her eyes became tight in a frown and there was an overall evilness to her face… _Her face…It's changed…_

Merle was quick to put a furry hand on Hitomi's mouth to prevent the noise from traveling.

Van looked at her and chuckled in a child-like manner. "Hey, you know that I'm not supposed to see you in your dress before the wedding…" He rolled his eyes. "It's bad luck…"

Shina laughed. "Oh, Van! Stop believing in everything that you hear!"

Hitomi picked up on what could be a double meaning—  
**_You have no right to know  
_**—as she continued to watch Shina's face change from human to…to…she couldn't even describe it… But apparently, Merle could not see it. She kept staring at Shina with the same expression as when she first came in. _Merle can't see Shina's face…Why me?_

"Shina…" Van paused. "Uh…I'm just really superstitious and I don't want to see you in that until the big day. You wouldn't want something to go wrong, would you?" He added false enthusiasm to 'big day' and smiled at her when he was finished. _Now please, GO AWAY!_

"Of course I don't want things to go wrong, silly…" Shina smiled at Van. "I'm planning the whole thing…"

"What a surprise…" Van mumbled. "Something else I'm not part of…"

And she continued to smile at him.

"Anyway, I'm kinda in the middle of something, so if you don't mind, I have to get going." Van tried to bring this conversation to a close so that Hitomi and him could work on something.

"What is it?" Shina asked.

"None of your concern…" Van backed away from the door to close it, but Shina interrupted him yet again.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Huh?"

"I asked you if you thought my dress was nice…You never gave me an answer…" She giggled.

"Oh…If I tell you what I think, will you leave me alone until tomorrow?" Van bargained, trying to get rid of her.

Shina thought for a moment. _You won't have enough time my King…By tomorrow, you will be mine and there is nothing you can do about it… _"Oh, alright. Deal. Now, tell me what you think!" She posed for him with her dress and waited for his response.

Her blue eyes stared into his and she watched as they got slightly cloudy. _Tell me what I want to hear, my love…tell me what they don't…_

Van's mouth was suddenly dry. Swallowing loudly, he stared at her body. He felt his insides turn into a big knot for some reason and that he felt sort of detached from the situation…Like he wasn't really there. The feeling was gone as his voice finally returned to him. He responded, "I think you look beautiful"  
**_You like it, don't you?_**  
"Really?" Shinas smiled again.  
**_Yes…_**  
"Yes…"

And with another smile on her face, she left Van alone

He shut the door quietly and turned his head to where Merle and Hitomi were kneeling behind his bed. With sad eyes, he looked at them, feeling as if he had let them down by saying that to her. Merle's blue eyes were open in shock as where Hitomi's green ones.

The cat was sad, shocked and angry all at the same time to what Van had said to Shina. _How could he say THAT to her? She's up to no good! Van, how could you be more stupid?_

On the other hand, Hitomi's eyes were opened for a different reason. All the time where she was watching Shina's face, it would flash between human and the other face…But at the end, just before she left…

…the other face stayed.

And the pendant was shining brightly.

It no longer shifted from one to the other. It was stuck. Wrinkled skin was moved from the twisted smile and the piercing, frowning eyes. Her hair hung dead on her shoulders as well. It was if Shina's entire body had changed and it was stuck in its other form—in Hitomi's eyes anyway.

And just before it left…

The creature smiled.

* * *

"Lord Van…" Merle whined. "I'm…I'm really tired now. Can we go now? The sun set HOURS ago…" She complained loudly in the still darkness in the room. They were still fussing over the Shina issue and Hitomi's new idea with Escaflowne. Although the cat wanted to help and figure all this stuff out, there was only so much she could do without any sleep.

Van sighed tiredly. "Yeah…it is late…" _In a few more hours, the sun will rise again…and I'll be wed…Oh gods…_He stood from chair he was sitting on and stretched. His neck was cramped from the constant bending over his writing desk so he rubbed it.

Hitomi looked up from the sheet they were writing ideas down, startled. "What? No! Van, we need to figure this out!"

"Hitomi!" Merle whined again. "I'm tired! We can't think if we don't get rest!"

"Well, I'm gonna stay up. You can go if you want." She said defiantly, returning her gaze to the paper.

Merle growled in her throat. "Hitomi!"

Van put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't bother. She won't leave…Go get some sleep. We'll manage…"

The cat looked up with sad eyes. Her annoyance with Hitomi about the visions disappeared. "Alright…" As Merle opened the door to leave, she whispered, "Good night you two…"

The door closed silently behind her and Hitomi sighed in frustration. She had yet to tell anyone about the strangeness in Shina's face, but the three of them had written down all possible ideas. Including strong ones about Shina.

"Hitomi?" Van sat down again and pulled the chair closer to the table. The scraping noise filled the room and once it had quieted, he leaned forward, head in folded arms and looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry we couldn't figure this out…"

"Van…" She mumbled. "Don't be sorry…Whatever he or she or it is planning hasn't happened yet, so there's still time…Except tomorrow…"

"…Don't remind me…" Van cut in as Hitomi trailed off. She smiled a little.

"Van, what are we going to do?"

He ruffled his hair and sighed. "Sleep. We need sleep."

"I know, but…" Hitomi started to interject, but realized that she had no points to back herself up. _We can't keep writing for the entire night…that'd be insane. Merle was right…we DO need sleep…_

"But what?" Van chided, knowing that she had come to the conclusion that they did need rest.

She shook her head. "Nothing…"

"Alright then, it's settled." Van took the oil-burning lamp that was helping them write off the table. "I'll talk you to your room and tuck you in!" He smiled. Genuinely.

But her room was near Shina's.

And right then, she remembered her face…

Suddenly, she did not want to be in the same area with that…thing… Van noticed Hitomi's change in body language. "What's wrong?"

_Say it! Say what you saw! You need to work with him!_ Hitomi lowered her head and spoke softly, just in case someone would hear. "When Shina came in to show you her dress…I…"

Van instantly sat down again, placing the lamp back on the table and picking up a pencil. "What? What did you see?"

It was funny how instantly Van thought she had a vision. She almost laughed.

Almost.

He knows me too well… "I…Shina's face…It was different…"

Van's mouth went dry. "Different how?" The darkness in the room was suddenly getting to him. "Come on, Hitomi…Tell me…"

"It was like…What I saw…It's like the face that we see everyday is a mask. I saw what was underneath it…"

Van stared at her. Maybe Shina IS some sort of magician…"What did it look like?"

Hitomi snatched the paper from him and began to draw what she could remember. Unlike the rest of her visions, this one was still clear in her mind. She furiously marked every nick, wrinkle and crevice on Shina's 'face', hoping not to miss any details.

Van watched her intently as she sketched. Even when she was partially done, his stomach got that same knot feeling again. _It's a monster…_

She handed him the paper. "And its eyes were bright blue…Like, almost glowing. They did start to glow when you complimented her on her dress…" Hitomi said the last part softer.

He held the picture in his hands. He breathed out a loud gush of air, shakily. "You sure you saw this?"

Hitomi nodded.

"Gods…" Van mumbled, hands starting to shake. "Is this what we're dealing with? Some doppelganger sorceress?"

"I don't think she's a doppelganger…Maybe just something in disguise…"

Van placed both the picture and his head on the table. He groaned. He tried to keep his eyes opened, but sleep was so overpowering this night. The feeling of this sleepiness never came of as odd to him at this time…even though, usually, he could stay up until forever if he wanted.

Just tonight…he felt so tired. "Hitomi…I can't stay up…If you want to go to bed, I suggest I take you now…Or else, you won't have a guide back…"

"No! Van! Please…Just a little longer…" Hitomi noticed the strain in his voice, and stopped fighting the sleep issue. "…No…We do need sleep…"

"Oh…Okay…" He mumbled tiredly, getting up slowly and grabbing the oil lamp again. Waving her towards him, Hitomi noticed his movements were so sluggish. "C'mon…let's go…"

"Van…" Hitomi stood up and walked up to him. "Could I…?"

He gave her a confused-tired look. "Could you what?"

"Could I stay…?"

"What, Hitomi?"

"—Sleep with you tonight?" She blurted. A blush crept to her cheeks after she realized how bad that sounded. "I—I mean—What I mean is, could I stay with you? I don't want to go back to my room…"

"Alright Hitomi…You can stay…But why don't you want to sleep in your own room?" Van asked, smirking. He knew what she meant the first time she asked, but it was fun to watch her face get all embarrassed.

"I'm afraid of the monsters in the closet…" Hitomi finished, not meeting his gaze. Under her closed eyelids, she kept seeing the thing she saw—  
**_The creature_**  
—earlier on that day.

"Okay…okay…" Van tired eyes started to droop further but he managed to pick up the meaning of Hitomi's statement. "C'mon…" He placed the oil lamp on the table beside the bed and moved the far side of the bed. Van motioned to her tiredly to take up the other side. "If you want to change out of your clothes…I'm not looking…I can give you one of my shirts to wear…" He offered, with a yawn and grabbing the said shirt from the ground.

Hitomi quickly changed once Van's eyes were closed. The shirt he had given her was long enough, so she removed her shirt and pants but kept her bra, underwear and socks on. "Do you want me to blow out the flame?" She asked, making reference to the lamp after she changed.

"Yeah…If you don't mind…" He mumbled. Van turned over to watch her to see if she did it properly. Darkness fell in the room and all Van could see was Hitomi's body outlined by the light of the moon. _She's shaking…_ "Hitomi…?"

He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her trembling form. "Van…I'm scared…I don't want this thing to win…We still don't know and I haven't had any visions since then to help us…I'm so scared…I don't want anyone to get hurt…"

Van hugged her tighter. "Hitomi…We can't get scared. We need to be strong to fight this thing, okay? Even if we're up against some monster in disguise who likes magic, we will fight this! No matter what! Okay?"

Hitomi fought of tears of anger and frustration. "…Okay…"

"We've fought bigger things before…Against fate. We can do this. I promise you."

Hitomi's insides turned. Something in the pit of her stomach told her that there was some falseness in his statement. But, she agreed anyway. "Okay…"

"Good…" Van put his head on the crook of her shoulder and let sleep take him. "Goodnight, Hitomi."

"Goodnight…" Hitomi felt Van's breath slow to a sleeping pace, but her eyes scanned the room for a bit more. Looking in the shadows for anything…anyone…

Because she knew the moment she closed her eyes…

The creature would continue to smile.

* * *

A messenger was spotted, in the early morning, running towards the castle in Austrian colours. "Sire!" A watchman called to his superior, "There is someone coming! The man is in the attire from Austria!" 

The older man reached for his own telescope for a better view. Even though they could see the man running because of the dust clouds he kicked up, the man needed to be sure it was friend and not foe.

He recognized the Austrian colours immediately and on closer inspection, he noticed dark patches and scratches all over the messenger's uniform. _That must be…blood! _"Quick! Open the doors!"

Just as the other watchmen opened them, the Austrian reached them and was out of breath. "Young sir! What brings you to Fanelia and why are your clothes soiled in…blood?" One of the watchmen said.

"My…My friends…" The Austrain replied in sort breaths. Straightening up, he continued. "King Allen sent me…I came as quick as I could…There is war upon—upon us back at the castle…The Yoshidarians are attacking!"

"Call for the militia!" The superior called over his solider to his men. He turned his attention back to the messenger. "How well are you holding up, young sir?"

The messenger shook his head. "Not well…"

The other man opened his eyes in surprise. They WILL need reinforcements! "How much time to we have?"

He repeated the same motion with his head. "…Not long…"

* * *

WAY-OH!

Wow. I really liked the ending on this one. But, I know…It was sorta a filler…I needed to make this chapter the start of the climax. It probably sucked big time with all the time lapses, but I needed to have this one to get things rolling.

Do you know how many rewrites of this chapter I did? Like three major ones. The first one I rewrote everything…The second I changed what I wrote again (not all, but some) and the third I changed the ending…Wow…

Anyway, now Hitomi is getting things together and is freaking out! WORD.

This site screwed up my italics and bolds again...so some things may not be in thoughts etc. Sorry about that...

Once again, I'm REALLY SORRY about not updating...School has been killing me and I just lost my inspiration.

(sigh) Hope you enjoyed it anyway…

PLEASE REVIEW!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Seriously, when have you seen ANY author on this site own something?

**To all who reviewed: **THANK YOU! Christmas break is on! (I went to Venezula! w00t!)

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Someone left the window open…_Through some subconscious thought, Van stirred in his sleep when a breeze filled the room. He moaned unhappily as he realized that he was awake…he knew that once he wakes up, he couldn't fall asleep again.

After all, today's the big day. _Oh…shit……I'm not getting out of this bed until they drag me out here! _Forcing himself to open his eyes, he stared at the ceiling. He rubbed his eyes and then yawned. The sun had barely risen yet so the room was coloured orange and red. Van looked in his peripheral vision to see that Hitomi was still sleeping soundly. _Ah, Hitomi…_He turned on his side and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Van…" Hitomi's voice did not sound tired at all. It barely registered to him.

"Yes, Hitomi?" Van mumbled back, getting comfortable in his new sleeping position. He put his head on her shoulder and made it his new pillow.

She suddenly shifted, breaking Van's position, and turned towards him. Her eyes—  
_**What colour are they?  
**_—had a mixture of fear and seriousness, distorting the usual bright blue colour. Trails of dried tears were on her cheeks and although Van was not totally awake, he sure was now. "Hitomi?" He sat up, still on his side, with his arms.

"…vision…" She mumbled and she curled up in a ball again. Hitomi hiccupped.

Van gulped and shifted over so that he could sit her up. "Come on Hitomi, we need to be strong…What did you see?"

There was a long pause. She turned away, as if she was ashamed. Her dirty blonde hair hid her face from him. "Hitomi…Come on…" Van tried to think of what could be bothering her. _Maybe she saw a vision of her death…or of mine…_

As Hitomi turned to face him, Van's heart stopped. His eyes opened wide and his adrenaline started pumping. Every muscle twitched and he began to shake. _Oh gods…my Hitomi…Your—Your face…_

Staring at him was the monster that Hitomi drew last night—including the twisted smile, blue eyes, dead hair and a crooked face. Its voice cracked and sounded like Hitomi's…but it wasn't. "Let's talk later…"

"Wake up, Van! Wake up!" He shouted to himself as he continued to move away from the monster—  
**_The creature  
_**—that was coming towards him. Van kept his eye on the monster as he continued to try to wake himself up. _Wake up! Stop this! Wake up! _He even had the time to pinch himself…_Wake up! Wake up!_

But it seemed that he couldn't.

Van started to freak. His breathing got faster, his palms sweatier and his heart was pumping louder. _Come on, Van! WAKE UP! _His frenzied movements got him tangled up in his bed-sheets. _No! No! WAKE UP! _

That's when he realized that he had reached the edge of the bed. "No place to go…" The creature smiled. And that smile froze him. He could not move. _No…Please, gods, no…_

Van struggled as much as he could. His body strained against its invisible bonds to no avail. Every muscle pulled and pushed, every vein stuck up from him skin…while the creature with Hitomi's body got closer. Van began to twist harder, pulling until he could no longer feel his body. The creature was only an inch away from him.

Van cried out in fear when he noticed that now only his face was mobile. Everything else was paralyzed. He twitched and rotated his neck, still trying to get free. "No place to go…" The creature repeated, crawling closer. Suddenly, only his eyes were able to move. He kept them fixated on the creature. _I will not let it win…_

It sat in front of him casually and brought its hand to his face. Van followed the skinny finger and the long nail with shaky eyes as it trailed a line down his cheek.

Suddenly, he was very cold.

The finger went down past his neck, over his shoulder and back again to freeze everything else. "You will not get away from me this time…"

He titled his head up, trying to move away from the finger. Van did not want her freezing his face again. It was the only thing he could move—minus one cheek—and he had to use this to his advantage. "W—Why?" He croaked out in a voice that sounded too weak to be threatening.

The creature ignored him and continued to trail its finger down his other arm and finally down his chest. The cold Van felt started to hurt and he breathed through his gritted teeth. "Why, dammit! Tell me!" His voice finally had the anger he wanted.

Its finger stopped and the creature looked up at him. Its face got closer and closer to his no matter how far Van stretched his neck to get away. Once his nose almost touched what he thought was the creature's nose, it stopped moving.

With his face titled so far, Van's eyes strained to keep an eye on it. "Tell. Me." He repeated, glaring.

After a moment of silence, the creature's lips turned upwards in another smile. "Because I can…" Before Van could register what it said, a scaly hand wrapped around the back of his neck and crushed him into a kiss. His eyes rolled back into his skull and his entire body felt numb.

So very cold.

* * *

"VAN!"

Darkness consumed him and the scene with the creature disappeared from view. All invisible bonds were broken and he felt as if he was floating. His sleeping clothes rustled against his skin as his hair ruffled from unknown winds in a soothing manner. It was almost calming to his nerves.

Too calm.

Van forced his eyes open to stare at the relaxing darkness. _Where am I? _He tried to locate the voice, but he could see nothing. As his eyes started to adjust to the darkness, he began to notice swirls of dark pink and purple mixing with the blackness. He looked up to see that everything above him was darker. Around his body, things were more colourful and below his bare feet was a bright pink light.

The pendant—  
**_Glowed  
_**—shined underneath him, lighting the walls.

His mind snapped to attention and he started to move in the 'air.' Taking a swimming stance, Van propelled himself towards the light that he recognized. _It has to be the pendant…_

The closer he got, the more bright and clear his surroundings got…and the more tired he became. Van's body was exhausted but he continued to push himself. He kept his eyes straight ahead and focused on the single pink light.

There was a slight pounding in his ears as he reached the pendant's level. Although it was laying on the ground, Van could not find any place to put his feet. _Shit…what am I supposed to do here? _He stayed floating but did not take his eyes off the pendant.

Van's breathing slowed down again, a sleepy feeling starting to overtake him. _No! Don't sleep now! _He kept himself awake by keeping his mind busy with memorizing each detail in the void around the pendant. His surroundings pushed him to fall asleep, but he fought it.

The darkness that was so comforting before suddenly became eerie.

And that's when the pendant pulsed.

Like a heartbeat.  
_**Lub-Dub  
Lub-Dub  
**__This is Hitomi's vision! _Van's mind screamed. He was now even more focused to stay awake. _It's the one where…uh…Oh! It's the one where she falls…She has to be here! _Using the light of the pendant, Van kept an eye out for Hitomi's form. _Come on…Come on…_

The pendant's light illuminated a piece of clothing. Actually, pieces of orange and aqua clothing. _HITOMI! _Van tried to call out to her, but his voice never carried.

The heartbeat got faster.

Hitomi's body came closer into view. Her hand was outstretched and her face was focused. _Come on! Come on! _

Faster and faster.

Van started to move again; this time towards her. His body moved slower as it was too tired to function properly. Even though his mind was sharp, his arms and legs could not keep up. Hitomi was still moving in the same pace as before.

Faster and faster.

She was so close to it. With his last amount of strength, Van stretched out his own hand and for the briefest of moments, their hands touched. Hitomi's features changed to confusion as she finally realized that Van was there all that time.

It felt so real, even though Van knew it was a dream…a vision.

Then…

It stopped.

The hands that touched were ripped away from one another as the ground cracked underneath Hitomi's feet. _NO! HITOMI! _Van's face contorted into anguish and determination as he tried to reach out to her again.

But he couldn't propel himself.

All he could do was watch her fall.

"VAN!" She screamed, hand reaching towards his immobile body as she fell. "VAN!"

"HITOMI!" Van forced the muscles in his back to flex outward to bring out his last resort. There was some resistance in this that was never there before. _No! I need to! _He pushed, with everything he had left, and finally, Van's back arched out and two wings—  
**_Millions of soft, white feathers  
_**—broke the surface of his skin forcibly.

This motion pushed him forward enough to get closer to her. Van reached out to her, but she was falling faster than he was moving. "No! HITOMI!" His heart pounded in his ears. _I will not let you fall…_His hand stretched to meet hers. Every muscle was pushing to get a grip on Hitomi's wrist.

But it seemed that he couldn't.

Hitomi's face got smaller and dimmer as she fell into the darkness. Van's wings tried to fly but they stayed motionless. Hitomi's hand was getting farther and farther away from his…

…and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"NO!" Van felt his vocal cords strain as he screamed, but no sound came out. "NO! HITOMI!"

Suddenly, there was nothing. Hitomi had disappeared into the darkness. The pendant's light was gone and now he was left alone in the dark, screaming voiceless at the top of his lungs…his hand still outstretched in hopes of grabbing on to her.

There was nothing.

Except for millions of soft, red feathers.

* * *

"VAN!" He shot out of bed quickly, breathing loudly and heavily. Van's eyes scanned the room. _I'm in my bedroom…I'm okay…_Everything in his room was fine. Nothing was out of place. _Okay…Stay…Calm…_The room had a pleasant glow to it as the sun had just risen. His heart still pounded as he realized that Shina was in his dreams. _Those eyes…_She was the creature that Hitomi talked about. _What was she doing to me? What was she planning?_

He turned to see Hitomi's worried face. "What?" He asked. She was also sitting up in bed with the sheets pooled around her.

"You were…kicking and talking…your hands were moving around a lot… I was worried." She breathed as she realized that he was okay. "I was calling your name for you to wake up…I guess you were really into that dream…" His hair a bit tousled and his skin a bit sweaty but he was okay. "What were you dreaming about?"

"One of your visions…"

She gulped. Hitomi asked the question that she knew the answer to...unless he had another one on top of that."Which one?" She had a vision that Van had told her about….Where she runs towards the pendant but then she falls into the darkness…She saw him there. He was _there_, really there, in her mind even though he was sleeping beside her. Hitomi knew it was a vision—  
**_But why did it feel so real?_**  
—because Van had told her about it. However, there was something unsettling about how they were in each other's dreams…and the red feathers…

Van turned to look at the bed sheets. The same ones that were tangled around his legs in the first part of his 'vision'. "That one…where you're falling…"  
**_But no angel was there to save her_**

Before anything else could be said, there was a loud and frenzied knocking on the door. "Your majesty! Awaken! Please hurry!"

Van snapped his head back to Hitomi and they both stared at each other in fear. If any one were to barge in on them, they'd get an extremely wrong idea. "Hitomi, hide!" Van whispered quickly. They jumped out of the bed and over each other, trying not to make too much noise. As Van dashed towards the door to his room, Hitomi ran underneath the bed.

He opened the door quickly to find the general of his army, General Kin, out of breath and leaning on the side of the entrance. "Your majesty! The—The Yoshidarians are attacking Austuria and they are coming our way!"

"What?" Van asked incredulously. "How is that—? I mean…what is going on here!"

"No one knows, sir. We're setting up arms, preparing for an attack. Our troops are sending reinforcements to King Allen…But it doesn't look good."

Van continued to stare, speechless. "I'm—I'm supposed to…You're telling me that the wedding that was supposed to bring peace…" He trailed off his sentence. Van didn't know what to do. _Why are they doing this? _"There should not be a war. My marriage to Shina was an alliance! Why are they attacking? They could of gotten their land…Why now?"

A loud bang sounding from the outside overshadowed the last part of his question. Pieces of rock, wood and dust fell around them. "Kin! What was that!"

"They've arrived! Quick, Lord Van! Run to safety!" General Kin shouted over the noise of a thousand soldiers running towards the enemy. The castle began to shake and Van held on to the doorframe. "Grab whatever you need! Run, my king!"

Once the rumbling stopped, Van looked at Kin. There was fierceness in his eyes as he glared at him. With his hands clutched to the doorframe, his voice came out in a low tone. "I never run away."

Screams echoed around them. "Use whatever tactics you have! This is war…and we will not give up Fanelia without a fight! Tell our soldiers that they are fighting for their home…their families…The Yoshidarians made a terrible mistake going back on their promises. Let's make sure that they pay for it! Go!"

General Kin nodded and ran off back onto the battlefield that was IN the castle. Van watched Kin run back with fire in his eyes. He growled. "Shina will pay for this…" He turned from the door and stormed into his room. Picking up his sword, he checked in before he placed it back in the sheath. "Get up, Hitomi…"

She was crying as she came out of the bed. _The bloodshed has started…Death, all around…the visions…_ "Van! What is happening?" Hitomi knew that if her visions were talking about anything, it would be this. "Why is she doing this? Why now?"

Van did not look at her. "Because she can…" A cold feeling lingered on his body as he grabbed another sword and tossed it to her. "Use this…" He looked down as he paused, "…I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Van…" Hitomi hiccupped. _This can't be happening! I don't want to be a part of this! _No matter what she said in her head, she knew the opposite. Things were going to happen…and they were going to happen now. "…what are we going to do?" She whispered as the sounds of war got louder.

Van stared directly at her, with fire in his eyes. "We teach Shina and her minions who's boss, that's what we do."

Hitomi gulped. _Merle had known all a long…Shina _is_ behind this…But why? Is she really after Escaflowne? _She was about to ask another question, but Van stopped her.

"Don't say another word, Hitomi…We don't have time to work anything out anymore. This is it. That's all there is too it. We were too late to prevent this…But its not too late to stop it. Come on!" Grabbing on to her wrist, he pulled her out the door. _If I get my hands on Shina…she will give me the explanation that I'm waiting for…_

They both ran out the door, with Van pulling Hitomi along. Coming to a junction in the hallway, they paused only for a minute. They went into the hallway were there was less noise. _I don't want to watch you get hurt…_As they turned the corner, Hitomi screamed.

Fire was burning all around them and there were masses of headless bodies and bloodied soldiers lying on the ground. The smell of their flesh made Hitomi's stomach curl and her shaking hands moved to her mouth to stop any more of the fumes to get into her nose. Van stared at the scene in front of him and Hitomi watched as the muscles in his face frowned. "No wonder it was quieter here…" He mumbled.

He kept his face without emotion as he noticed the face of his servant, Hiroshi, laying too far from his neck. He struggled to keep all his emotions down. _We need to keep moving... _Other people that he knew were also there with their skin black and their eyes missing.

Van knew that the fires in here would have to wait…They had to keep moving. Going down this way could mean watching their bodies go up in flames. "Come on…"

They turned around and ran to the junction again. This time, they picked the opposite way. With one hand clutched around Hitomi's, Van relied on his training to get through the mass of people that greeted them. It was the Yoshidarians verses the Fanelians…

And as much as Van hated to admit it, the enemy was winning.

Hitomi's voice lost its sound and her stomach was getting even more upset. She watched as the black armoured Yoshidarian pushed his sword through the stomach of a Fanelian. As the man fell to the ground, clutching his stomach and withering in pain, the other man brought the sword down—  
**_And he crashed it upon her head_**  
—on the man's heart, effectively killing him. She noticed the blood that stained the blade and the splatter on the walls from the attack. The tiny fires lit the crowded stone hallway so Hitomi could see all the faces of the men who's helmets had been thrown off…

…and all the faces of the men who's lives had been taken away.

_Oh God…_She saw one man who still had the broken blade of someone's sword lodged in his eye that came out from the back of his skull. Hitomi could not see what side he was on since his armour was coated in red. _Oh God…Oh God…_

As they continued to move forward, a Yoshidarian noticed them and started to come up from behind them. With his sword placed over his shoulder, the man was ready to attack.  
**_The pendant_**  
Van's eyes snapped to attention. He let go of Hitomi's hand, to get a better grip on his sword. The change of her momentum caused her to stumble forward. Looking behind her to see what made Van let go, she saw the pendant—  
**_Glowed  
_**—point in the direction of the enemy. _He was behind us the whole time! _Before she could call out to warn him, Van turned swiftly around, holding out his sword in means of killing the man. Before the other man could react, Van's blade made a clean cut at his neck.

Hitomi screamed as she watched the man stand still for a moment before collapsing on his knees and then falling forward. All the while, even though Van's sword had sliced through, the man's head refused to slip off until he landed on the floor. Blood pooled at her feet on the floor…_Oh God…Oh God…_ The man's head slid a few centimeters away from its body, features out of view.

But she could still imagine what they looked like.

Hitomi trembled and yet she could not move. _Oh God…Oh God… _Van stepped in front of her with a look in his eyes that she could not place. "We have to go!" She heard him say. "Come on!"

She choked on her words but followed him as he dragged her along. They dodged the other fighting soldiers as best as they could, but both of them were cut. Hitomi felt other people's blood splash around her; on her face, on her legs and arms…but she did not stop moving. Her mind was blank and due to their fast running, the walls blurred past her.

At one point, she felt her sword get knocked out of her hand, but nothing seemed to matter more than to keep running. Twice more Van had to use his sword against the Yoshidarians; the first time a stab in the heart and the second time he cut off the man's arm.

Hitomi could no longer scream or fill with fear. _That's all there is to it…_She just held onto his arm and let go when she knew he had to fight. _This is it…That's all there is to it…_

Van realized that Hitomi had stopped speaking and decided to run into his combat practice room. He saw the look on her face. _Gods…she's traumatized… _Her face kept the wide-eyed look, all colours were drained from it and she wasn't saying a word. He pulled her towards the one room he knew no one would go in, barged in there and shut the door behind them.

The room was dusty and since its windows faced the west, it was still dark. The sounds of the battle were still loud and Hitomi covered her ears. She slid down the wall and sat down. "Van! Make it stop!" She cried as she sobbed. When no response came, she looked up to see what was distracting him. The room was dark, but it didn't take much light to see who else was in there that caught Van's attention.

Standing by the body of Van's teacher was Shina. Although her back was to them, her hands were covered in blood. _She…killed him…_They stood out against her white skin so visibly. Her dress was also dirty with dust and more red stains. Hitomi's breath hitched in her throat. _Oh God…Shina…Oh God…_

She turned quietly towards them, as if she heard them in the silence of the room. Van's eyes grew wide as the creature stared back at them. Its eyes were glowing blue and around its neck…

…A black pendant…

"No…No…" Hitomi shook her head as she mumbled. _How could she…? Why? _

Van stepped away from her, aware of what she could do to him if she got too close. Even though his entire body shook, he made his face like stone. However, he chose to remain voiceless.

Shina—  
**_The creature_**

—titled its head to the side. It was so easy for it to see through Van's strong exterior. _They fear me…_

And the creature smiled.

WAY-OH!

Sorry for the extremely long vision sequence there…and the outrageous cliffhanger…AND the lack of updates. I went to Venezuela for a week (beautiful) so I couldn't get on a computer…I hope to do the next chapter by this weekend though…

I hope my 'war scene' was good…Any suggestions?

The next chapter will have a LOT of explanations…) I hope you enjoyed this one, though!

Hope you all had a happy Christmas and a merry New Year:D

PLEASE REVIEW


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Disclaimer: **I didn't own anything in the last ten chapters…I didn't own anything in the last five chapters…What makes you think this chapter is any different? I don't own anything!

**To all who reviewed: **This is a proud moment for me! I had finally broken the 100 review milestone! I'M SO HAPPY! (hands out cake!) Thanks for all your comments: D

_PS. I have given up on how the correct way to spell "Austuria/Asturia/Austria" I know the way I was spelling it at first was WAY wrong…Austria IS a country near Germany in Europe…my bad…If you see any of these, you know what I'm talking about. (maybe, one day, I'll go back and change them)_

**Chapter Sixteen**

Hitomi's eyes kept looking at Shina, even though the rest of her body shook. She forced herself to calm down. _It was her…All this time…Merle was…_A new thought blasted through her head. _Merle! Where's Merle? What did she do to her?_

The more she stared at Shina, the brighter her blue eyes got. _There's something about those eyes…that face…_Hitomi's eyes narrowed. The sunken eyes…the dry and wrinkled skin…The blood…_It's as if…she's a corpse. _

Although Hitomi's head was buzzing with thoughts, Van's remained still. He only had one thought. _I will kill her…_  
**_Her blood  
_**…_she will pay for her sins …_His fingers curled around the handle of his sword. The blood from the people he had killed and the ones he was close enough to was dripping off him and his sword onto the floor. The sound reminded Hitomi of a leaky faucet.

Shina kept her feet rooted in the ground for the moment as she stared at Van's face. "What's the matter, love? Don't you recognize me?" She asked, breaking the silence. "Does this look more familiar?" And in an instant, Shina's face looked normal again.

Too normal.

Van clenched his jaw, feeling distracted. "I don't care what you look like. Why are you doing this?"

She completely ignored him. "Well, I figure that this'll look more familiar…no one seems to realize it's me when I look as old as I am…No one looks this good," she paused, bringing her hand to her face, "when they are over a century old, do they?"

"What?" Hitomi breathed.

"Just what are you?" Van glared.

Shina brought a hand to her pendant. "I thought that this would give it away…"

Van's eyes went wide for a second, before resuming his stoic look. "No. You can't be from…It was never black!" The grip on his sword, hanging by his side, got tighter.

She sighed. "Oh, come now…Did you ever stop to think exactly _who _was making wishes conflict with one another? Honestly, the Atlantians were golden…They would never even think to wish misfortune on one another…" Shina paused with a laugh. "But I did…And, oh, what fun that was. All it took was one lie to get everything in motion. Beautiful, really…"

"Why!" Hitomi screamed, after being silent for too long. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Why did you do that?"

"You know," Shina paused thoughtfully, "I don't know. Maybe it is just in my blood. I like to watch things go 'boom.'" She giggled. "I like to watch suffering…I like to put people in their place.

"Those Atlantians thought that they were superior…Thinking that they had all the power, all the knowledge about everything…Well, those 'wishing' pendants destroyed their perfect place and their perfect lives. They so easily turned on one another, proving that they were no good than the animals that they kept in their homes. All of them deserved to fall to pieces just as their poor civilization did. I thought it was rather funny as I watched it…"

"Shut-up!" Van cried. "I will not let you talk about my people that way!"

"Oh?" Shina walked forward, "And what will you do to stop me?"

"I'll cut off those lips of yours."

"Van!" Hitomi gasped. She had never seen him this angry before. It still scared her that he was capable of doing such things…The Van she remembered from her first visit on Gaea, hated to fight.

Shina laughed. "You wouldn't dare lay a finger on me…" The both took a step towards each other with Van brushing off Hitomi's hands to hold him back.

"No! Van!" She begged. _I don't want to see you like this…_

Van stared at her. "Let go." Hitomi chilled at his words and his face. It was so rigid and tense. His eyes…they were…different.

"You have no right to touch me…" Shina continued, not taking Van seriously.

"Why are you doing this?" He took another step forward, ready to strike with his sword.

"You have no right to know …"

_There's something…Something…_She racked her mind with anything that could tell her what made her feel so edgy towards his eyes and why Shina's last line was familiar…  
_**You have no right to touch me  
**_…_possessed…  
__**Leave  
**_Her heart stopped. _Why did I remember that? I'm not supposed to remember anything…_The pink pendant glowed brightly, but no one paid attention to it except Hitomi. She closed her eyes. _What are you trying to tell me? _Bits and pieces of something started to come back.

Under her closed eyelids…

…The blue eye appeared with a voice. _That's…It's—It's Shina! The girl from the visions! Those were the first words she said to me! I remember! _Focusing her mind on the darkness, she saw feathers, red ones, a sword, hands, falling rocks and the pendant with a heartbeat all in a flash. They were muddled together to make a strange jumbled vision _These are them! My visions! They're back! _

She tried to focus on one, but it continued to play as one jumbled mess. Shina's voice triggered something in her head…_It was the first time I heard the vision speak…Before…everything happened…_ Trembling, Hitomi stood. Her head hurt with the explosion of all the suppressed visions. She looked up to see Van and Shina standing close to one another.

"V—Van!" Hitomi tried to explain to him that everything had come back, but he didn't turn around to her voice. "Van, please!" Still, no response. She then remembered his eyes…and the last time they were like that. _He's possessed…He can't hear me…_

So she watched the two of them square off…sort of. _They're on the same side now…_Hitomi got close to Van to pull him away, to get both of them out of there, but he stopped her in her tracks with one look.

"Don't take another step Hitomi…"

"Why…?" Fear made her step back a little.

"This doesn't concern you…" Hitomi stayed in her spot, not wanting to figure out what Van would do to her in this state if she disobeyed him. She wished she hadn't dropped her sword…at least then she could of protected herself a bit just to drag him away from Shina. _Dammit…_Her eyes scanned the room for any sort of weapon to no avail. The only thing close would be the wooden planks scattered on the floor.

"That's a good girl…" He mumbled before turning his attentions back to Shina. Van smiled crookedly. "Tell me what you did and I swear, I'll go easy on you."

She laughed, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Oh, Van. I only did what was necessary. People who do not have anything important to say deserve…well, to quote you, to have their lips cut off. It seems that no one would tell me how to work your personal machine…"

Hitomi looked over to the body on the floor in the corner. She noticed that his lips were not the only things cut off. His face was nothing but a red mess. She couldn't tell in the poor light whether or not the man's skin had been peeled off. _She was asking for Esca…Oh God…Oh God…_The same sickening feeling in her stomach came back as the stench of death hung in the air.

Through the confusion in her mind, Hitomi managed to shout, "What did you do to Merle?" _If she's capable of this without any weapons…_She trailed off her thoughts, not wanting to go any further.

Hitomi looked over at Van to see a change in his eyes at the mention of Merle. At Shina's silence, Van growled. "What did you do to her, you bitch!"

Shina inspected her hands, marveling at the dark patches of dried and fresh blood. It appeared as if she could tell whether or not she had killed someone in particular just by examining the blood there. "Why would I want to get that feline's blood on my hands? She would contaminate my perfection!"

"Where is she?"

She titled her head. "Hopefully, with a katana in her mouth. I always wanted her to swallow her words."

"No!" Hitomi cried. _Maybe this'll make him get out of here…_ "V—Van! We need to find her!"

As Shina took another step, Van's eyes changed again. _No!…Van! Fight it! Please! _"I'm not through with her…" He mumbled.

And the creature smiled.

They stepped closer to each other. Just to the point of touching.

And Van could only watch.

He started to get that same cold feeling all over his body again. _What's going…? Oh no…No! Move away! _His body ignored his mind. _No! Move!_

_No place to go, my love…_She placed a hand on his shoulder and Van chilled all over. He breathed loudly through clenched teeth. "Tell me why…" Van's mouth twitched, as it was being frozen but still trying to talk.

"Because I already made two worlds become destroyed…and three times is a charm, is it not?" She paused, trailing her hand along his arm. Hitomi's stomach felt even worse as she watched the bloody hand move, staining his skin. "This human race does not deserve to exist. I merely do them a favour: I destroy them before they have a chance to destroy one another. Usually, I am undetected," she shot Hitomi a glare, "but, I guess I can not be lucky all the time…

"Although people can see me as a bad, little girl, all I really am is a…a fixer of sorts. When your cart is broken, a carpenter comes to you. When humans get out of line, I come to them. No one told me to do this, I just do it out of the kindness of my heart."

"No! That's not right! Humans are not all bad!" Hitomi shouted, stopping Shina. "There is good in the world! You…You just need to look closely."

"Foolish girl. They are just selfish, cruel and primitive. I am just helping them get a new start…"

"No! No!" Hitomi repeated. "You're wrong! You do not do this because you need to! You do it because you want to! You _want _people to get hurt! You _want _every single last person of the human race to die because you _want _to! You didn't like the Atlantians because you were jealous!"

"But, I am Atlantian. Why would I be jealous of my own people?"

"You are not an angel, Shina." Hitomi frowned. With Shina's silence, she knew she was right. _She can't be a 'fixer'…_ "You have one thing straight, though. No Atlantian _would _turn against the other. You couldn't have been Atlantian…You were not of their world…Which one did you have to kill to get that pendant?"

Shina frowned and snarled at Hitomi. "This pendant is mine!"

"That's a lie!" She cried. Hitomi held out her own pendant, flush with pink light. "No Atlantian would have their pendant turn that way! They were good and pure…_You _were the one who made everything go bad. _You _were the one that made them fall from grace. _You _made every other human race follow suit! Stop lying, Shina!

Shina looked back at Van, who hadn't moved. _So very cold…_ "Is it still a lie, when part of it is true?"

Van's mouth opened slightly to utter one word. "No." Hitomi's heart fell. _His eyes…Please, fight Van! _"Van! No!"

"Do you think I'm a liar Van?" Shina leaned in close to his ear as if to keep the question between him and her, but she said it loud enough for Hitomi to hear.

"…No…" He repeated. _So cold…_

"Do you doubt me, my love?" Shina kissed his ear. "Tell me what I want to hear…"

Van's mind was freaking out. He could barely feel himself. It was as if he was disconnected from his body. _I have no control…_He wanted to scream, to tell Hitomi to get away…

But it seemed that he couldn't.

With his eyes, he saw the room from a different perspective. He saw himself, standing there with Shina in front of him and Hitomi off to the side shouting something that he couldn't hear…after all, Shina had touched his ears. He was no longer a part of his body. _This can't be happening…The visions…_

Van struggled against invisible bonds that would not give. He pulled and pushed until his muscles burned. He glanced at Hitomi. _It is too late for me. _Even though he didn't exactly know what would happen when Shina kissed him, he knew it would have to do with Hitomi falling…  
**_And no angel was there to save her_**

"No…"

"That's a good boy…" Shina smiled and lightly pecked him on the lips. Hitomi watched, eyes wide from beside them, as Van kissed her back. A hand was brought to her mouth to quiet a gasp. _This isn't right…He's…possessed…_

_NO! _Van screamed. He pulled and pushed against his bonds. _No! NO!_

As Shina pulled away, Hitomi saw Van's eyes. _He's gone…_They were clouded…more clouded than she could remember. Her sorrow leapt to concern when Van started to cough.  
_**Choke  
**_He collapsed to his knees in a matter of seconds as his coughing got worse. His arms wrapped around his shaking torso as he tried desperately to take in a breath.

But it seemed that he couldn't.

Air was continuously forced out of him in pained coughs. Van realized this feeling from one of his first visions with Shina. _My throat…_Hands moved from his stomach to his neck, clawing at it. _No…G—Gods, no!_

"Van!" Hitomi started to run to his side when she noticed Shina's pendant glowing. It didn't allow her to move. _No! NO! _"What are you doing to him? Stop it!"

Shina's mask disappeared and Hitomi was facing the corpse with its blue eyes glowing. "I like to put people in their place." Van's struggles got weaker as he spit up blood at Shina's feet. "_All _Atlantians deserve to be put in their place…"

Suddenly, Van stopped making noise. The whites of his eyes showed underneath the shadow of his black hair. "NO! VAN!" Hitomi screamed, her pendant glowing so brightly that the pink turned white. "V—VAN!" The power of her abilities shot out and engulfed her body. _I will not let you fade away!_

_Hitomi! _Van thought as he watched her from his body again. _I'm back…_He felt his throat relax a bit as the hold from Shina had slightly decreased. The bonds were gone. He wasn't strong enough to stand, but he turned his head in her direction. "Hi…Hi…tomi…"

Her face was in deep concentration as the pendant floated in front of her, shining brilliantly from the emotions that exploded from within her heart.

She saw his eyes turn back to normal again. _Van! Fight it! Please! I can't keep this up much longer! _

_Expend your power until there is nothing left…foolish human…Those with power never seem to use it properly…_Shina watched in amazement as Hitomi's pink and white light illuminated the room. She knew that soon enough, the mortal would tire and then, she could resume with everything.

She was right. This Mystic Moon woman is making things more exciting.

Van felt his heart leap in his chest. _Yes! Hitomi! _His arms could move again. His lungs were working…The pendant was releasing him from her. Shina's influence was gone…As soon as he started to try and stand up, the feelings returned.

Just as she predicted, the pendant's glow started to fade. Hitomi's face was weakening as her eyes opened with sadness. _I can't…I couldn't…_Although the glow was steady, it got dimmer. "N—No!…Van…" She sobbed. Hitomi could not do it…not even with the power of Atlantis.

She crumbled into a heap on the floor. The pendant's outburst had sent her own body energy down. Bringing her head up, with her hair stuck to her face, she found that Van was still facing her, eyes full of concern and hope. _Like normal…_

"Pity." Shina interrupted the silence. "This is almost making my heart break in two. Almost."

"You don't have a heart, you bitch!" Hitomi shouted, sitting up on shaky limbs.

"Now, now…" Shina wagged her bloodied hand at her. "No need for such bad language. Am I right, my king?" She peered down at Van who had turned his head back to her. Fine lines of blood were trickling down his chin through the sides of his mouth.

His eyes tightened in a frown and his body lurched forward, getting him up on one knee. "…N—N—No-o…" Van choked out. "You—You…" He tried to finish, but he was losing control fast. Whatever energy Hitomi had given him through the pendant was dwindling quickly.

Shina knelt down to get to his level. She held his chin in his hand, studying his blood flow from his mouth. "Pardon, my love?"

"N…N…" Van's mouth was becoming frozen again. _Hitomi…get…a—away…Go!_

"Speak up. Your loyal subjects want to hear you." Shina mocked, moving his head this way and that with a flick of her wrist.

The bonds had returned, and Van was feeling detached again. _No…N—No…_He pulled and pushed against them until he broke out into a cold sweat. His body was trembling erratically as he tried to break free from her grasp.

Hitomi watched, praying and wishing that he wins. _Fight Van! I—I can't…_

In the deep valleys of Van's mind where he was currently residing, he mustered up every ounce of strength left in his body. _All or—or nothing…_Although detached, he sent whatever energy he could gather to his body to give Hitomi a warning.

Van pictured the energy, the adrenaline he gets when his wings sprout from his back. Just like in the vision, the energy pushed him forward enough to reach his body. "Hi…Hitomi…" He called, weakly.

Her green eyes met his with a feeling in them that he couldn't decipher. Worry, maybe? Fear? Astonishment?

_Get…a—away fr—from me…_Van felt it. It was too late for him. He was gone. _So cold…_

With his last breath, he stared right at her and shouted to her in his loudest voice.

"RUN!"

His message echoed on the walls, nearly drowning out the sounds of the battle outside the room. As the words left his lips, his head was thrown back and he moaned in pain. Shina's nails dug into his skin as the power of her own pendant sent the last Atlantian to where he belonged.

At her feet.

Hitomi's heart pounded in her ears. _No…No…Van! VAN! _But she wasn't stupid. She rose to her wobbly feet and staggered backward. With one last look at Van's state, Hitomi turned around and ran out the side door—the one where she saw Van practice a few days before. She took a quick turn to the left, avoiding the tiny fires and dodging bodies on the ground.

Her pace quickened. Hitomi was afraid of what he would do to her under Shina's care if he found her. Seeing a dead solider with a sword protruding from his body, she slowed down. Praying to God to forgive her for disrespecting the dead, she pulled the sword out of the man and watched as the body toppled over. _I need to be protected…_

Green eyes looked behind her from the way she came. His scream fell to her ears and tears came to her eyes…_Van… I need to move…I need to run…_Holding the sword, she took a right.

Van's body had finally stopped resisting; it had stopped jerking and twisting and shaking. It was finally ready for use. _Those Atlantians…Throwing my people out of our home and taking it for there own. Everything that they care about will be destroyed…just like Atlantis…and just like Gaea. Say goodbye, Van…_Shina's face returned to the mask. "Stand up."

The body stood. The only sound was its sword scraping the floor.

Shina walked around it; inspecting it. "Do you doubt me, my love?"

"No…"

"Will you disobey me?" She looked at his darkened eyes, knowing the answer.

"No…"

"Do you love me, my king?"

A pause. "…Yes."

_Oh, perfect Atlantian…Look what I can do to you…_ "Will you let her live?"

There was a hesitation, but the answer came quickly after. "No…"

Shina chuckled. "Will you let any of the blood stay in her?"

"No…"

The creature smiled at Van's body. "Blood…You like it, don't you?" The hand gripped his sword tightly before answering her question.  
**_Her blood  
_**"…Yes…"  
**_You like it don't you?  
_**"…Yes…"  
**_Yes…_**

* * *

0.0

wow.

Um…hope you liked that chapter?

I wrote it in one day…it all came to me. Everything fit into place. I'm so happy:D I finally figured it out. 3 I know it was a tad confusing with Shina screwing up her side of the story. But, whatever Hitomi concluded was true. FYI, Shina did destroy another world before Atlantis…

You know the asteroid belt that separates the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) from the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn…and the rest)? Yeah, those rocky remains are what's left of the mysterious planet. (I read that in a book once…scary stuff)

Basically, Shina just doesn't like the angels from Atlantis (where Van's mom was from) and decides that it's her duty to make sure that they know they are nothing.

Anyway, I hope you liked it! I really hope that you enjoyed the whole explanation scene! Was I clear? And, I hope you liked the random scene of Hitomi trying to save Van...that came to me last second...Oh no! Watch out Hitomi!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Disclaimer: **I didn't own anything in the last ten chapters…I didn't own anything in the last five chapters…What makes you think this chapter is any different? I don't own anything!

**To all who reviewed: **Thanks for your reviews and your praise and your advice of keep going! Unfortunately, exams! Sorry for the inconvenience and I hope you stay tuned!

**Chapter Seventeen**

The corridors were silent; except for the crackling fires, Hitomi's loud breaths and her feet hitting the wood floor. She took another left and then a right until she finally paused behind a wall that hid her from view. _I…have to get…my breathing…under control…You can't keep running at these speeds for long…_Although Hitomi was fit and able to run, she knew her limits.

And running at top speeds for more than ten minutes while dodging fights and bodies was definitely going overboard. The sword's extra weight wasn't helping much either. She had fallen over three times because of the darn thing and tore her pants at the knee.

Her knees were slightly bent with her hands on her kneecaps. While she focused on deep breathing and rest, Hitomi kept an ear out for anyone who would be coming her way. Green eyes darted back and forth to see no new shadows in the hallway.

She heard noises—probably from outside the castle—of people moving…very quickly. _Maybe they called an evacuation…_

Hitomi's heart lifted. If she could hear the outside, she must be close to the exit. _I have to get out of this castle…out of this town…at least out on the streets where people can help…_Sweat pooled at her brow. _Oh God…This isn't right…This can't be—_

A flicker of movement in the hallway distracted Hitomi's eyes. She stopped her loud breathing and held her sword steady. It was sticky and heavy, but now was no time to complain. _I have to get both of us out of here…We need to find Merle and—_

She saw the movement again.

Hitomi pressed her body against the wall, holding the sword to her right side so she could swing it around and hit whoever was there…_Van…_

She listened closely and heard feet drag on the floor. Shallow breathing was getting louder. Hitomi saddened, as she realized the breathing sounded like Van's…when he was asleep. _No…God no…_Hitomi's eyes strained to see behind her. She gulped as the sounds stopped. _He's right here…adjacent to me…Oh God…He's right there. On the other side of the wall…_

Her grip tightened. The thought of wounding someone, let alone killing someone, had never crossed her mind…and now, Hitomi was afraid that she would have to.

Neither her nor Van made any noise for a long time. Hitomi needed to get out of there. _If I could just distract him…then run straight……Okay, one, two…_Her mind was quickly made up. If she wanted to get anywhere, she had to distract him. Van was blocking her way out.

…_Three!_

Hitomi spun around and cried out to meet Van standing with his sword out to block her attack. Metal clashed with metal as both of them locked on to each other's gaze. _His eyes…_

There was no pupil left. Just one solid shade of darkened maroon.

She pushed all her strength into her sword to push Van away…just a few steps back so she could have a running start. But, she underestimated Van's strength as a fighter. Hitomi's sword shook with pressure while Van stayed perfectly still.

Glaring at her, he smiled wickedly. "This will be too easy." _His voice…That's not…_Van's voice was almost robotic. Each word was said void of emotion. With her slight distraction, Van pushed back on Hitomi's sword with the force of his arms, making her stumbled backwards with a yelp.

The sword bounced out of her hands and onto the floor to rest beside Hitomi who had landed on her back. Her head had hit the floor, but she pushed the dizzy feeling aside and quickly stood, grabbed her sword and ran straight.

She heard Van's feet closing in from behind her. "Hitomi…" He breathed, calling out to her, chiding her. Blood pounded in her ears as she desperately tried to lose him. She made two rights—or maybe three?—and continued straight down a winding corridor. Her breathing was loud and laboured. _Please…Please…let there be…a hiding place…somewhere…_

Her prayers were answered as a small alcove appeared on her left. She dashed towards it, looking behind her to see that she had lost Van. _Good…_Of course, there was something unsettling about not knowing where he was and it tied Hitomi's stomach into knots.

Brushing hair out of her face, Hitomi entered the small opening and sat facing the end of the hallway and little bit farther away from the opening so that the darkness covered her. Hitomi's whole body was shaking. _Such…strength…I should of known he was stronger…_

Tears stung her eyes. She wiped them away with a frustrated hand. _Now's not the time…Stop it…You have to recognize…your surroundings, Hitomi…_Her breathing was back under control and her muscles burned, thankful for the rest.

She poked her head out quickly from the alcove and noticed that the hallway bended towards the left. Hitomi wasn't sure where it led afterwards, but she hoped it wasn't a dead end.

Unfortunately, she didn't recognize the area. The carvings on the wall were different from the ones she usually saw near the dining hall, or the entrance. She wished that Van had given her a tour of this place. _No!……Okay, stay calm…every road had to lead to something right?_ Hitomi turned her head back into the area she was currently hiding in. _Maybe this leads to somewhere. A secret passage maybe? _Her hope dwindled, as all she saw was total darkness.

The darkness did nothing to soothe her. A cold sweat started and Hitomi felt the hairs on the back of her head prickle up. _I have to get out of this…place…Something—  
**Someone  
**_—_is in here…_Clutching the sword, she proceeded to turn to her side quickly to exit and continue going down the winding hallway.

But before she could exit the alcove completely, a hand and a long piece of metal winded around her and pulled her back into the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat as her momentum was reversed. Hitomi screamed as loud as she could and tried to grab the entranceway of the alcove with her hands. The sword fell with a loud clang onto the floor in front of her. Her fingertips grasped the edge of the entrance, but with a grunt from behind her, she lost contact.

"No! NO!" Hitomi's voice echoed around her until one of the hands snaked upwards and cupped her mouth. Her muffled cries were joined with tears as Hitomi saw the exit getting smaller. _He's pulling me in! _

The cool metal was placed right at her throat, leaving little room to swallow or speak without being cut. Her legs lashed out in all directions, but their strength had no use as he was behind her. Fingernails clawed at both of his hands as she desperately tried to get free. "Mmm! Mmph!"

Hitomi's struggle started to slow as the blade pressed deeper into her skin. A slight burning sensation was what she felt when her blood trickled forth from the small wound. Her cries got desperate. She began to sob in his hands; something she never wanted to do. He told her to be strong…_And I can't be…_ "Mmph…" Hitomi mumbled in his hand.

Green eyes darted upwards to meet nothing but darkness. _I can't see anything…but I can sure feel it…_Not only was she thinking of the sword, but also, of the dark aura around them. _She has him now…No, please…_Hitomi tried to twist from his grasp, moving in all directions, but he held her steady with a chuckle. Her hands tried to move the blade away from her neck but it wouldn't budge; her fingertips were badly cut though.

Tears spilled from her eyes and wet the hand that cupped her mouth. He pulled her closer to his body and leaned his mouth to her ear. "If you're quiet, I'll make it fast."

Van's voice was still robotic. Hitomi felt his hair brushing against her cheek. Her body screamed for her to move. She cried out in response and shook her head, careful of the blade. "Come on…Do you really want me to finish you nice and slow?"

Hitomi struggled again, twisting her body again against his strong arms and legs. "Hitomi…Oh, Hitomi…" Van whispered in her ear. "Believe me, if you want it the hard way, I'll be happy to oblige." The blade pressed a little deeper, staining it with red again.

The burning sensation of her wound increased and a throbbing pain joined it. But she would not give in. _If only I could get his hand off of my mouth…_It was placed too awkwardly for her to bite it, her own hands couldn't pry it off…_Hitomi! You idiot! _

Amongst all the confusion that had occurred less than a minute before, Hitomi hadn't realized that her arms, not just her hands were free. _The strongest point of anyone's body is the elbow…_

Hitomi stopped struggling and lay limp in Van's protective grasp. She knew that the arm that held the sword to his throat must be at the height of his shoulder in order to get the angle he had. The blade, after all, was right under her chin. _His midsection is totally exposed…_

"There's a good girl…" Van mumbled again in her ear. "Shh…Shh…Not another word…"

Everything sort of stilled for a brief moment and Hitomi made up her mind. Clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth, Hitomi made her move. _Three! _Mustering up her adrenaline, she jabbed her elbow as hard as she could into the side of his abdomen. It wasn't as effective as a direct blow to the area near the diaphragm, but it caused Van's hands to falter.

She did it again, this time with her other elbow to the other side of his abdomen. Van grunted in the sudden blow. With the new distance between them, and his hesitation, Hitomi pulled forward, twisted, and thrust her elbow on what she hoped she would hit: his chin. Her blow connected smoothly and the metal was no longer at her throat…it had nicked her skin as it was being pulled away. However, this was not the time to think about pain.

With his hands no longer holding her down, Hitomi sprung forward on the balls of her feet and raced, as fast as she could move in a crouched position, to the exit.

She flew down the hallway, grabbing her sword from the ground as she left. With a quick look behind her, Hitomi realized that Van was not following her. _He's knows this castle inside and out…that alcove must exit at another place. Van's trying to cut me off…_

Hitomi turned the corner, breathing loudly through her mouth and holding her sword horizontally across her midsection. As she approached another entranceway coming from the left, she slowed down. _The hallway…that I just came from…goes in a U-shape. That…alcove must exit over here…_She backed up against the wall getting extremely close to the entrance.

Staying as quiet as possible, Hitomi listened. Her knees felt weak and her whole body shook, but her mind was still sharp.

_He's waiting for me…_

* * *

"NO! Let me go, now!" Merle shouted as the advisors tried to hold her back. 

"Merle! Please! For your own safety!" Haru shouted, pulling at her arm. "You need to stay here, in the carriage!"

Merle glared. "But Lord Van—!"

"—Lord Van did not heed to the evacuation call. He is helping his soldiers fight off the army of Yoshidarians." Akira replied.

The cat-girl turned to face him. Her face furrowed with anger. "Then why aren't YOU helping your people, you cowardly bastard!"

"Merle!"

"NO! Let go of me! I need to help him!" Merle struggled again against the advisors, but they were stronger than they looked. _Hitomi…Van…You're both in danger! _

"Lord Van would want you to be safe from harm! Stop this, Merle!" Another advisor scolded.

The carriage sped away, making the smoldering castle that Merle called home get smaller. She paused as she watched the scene. The city around them was full of crying and screaming people, scrambling to get their things and get away from any Yoshidarian soldiers who'd want to kill them. _No…Gods no! _

Haru's hands lightened their grip on the girl as he watched her stare sadly at the castle. "My child, Lord Van will take care of himself."

Merle turned her head away from the scene and turned her body around to face the advisor who Van had trusted ever since he was a little boy. As the carriage bounced on the uneven ground, Merle raised her arm and slapped Haru, making his head snap to the right.

"Yeah, Lord Van will take care of himself…It seems that you guys can't do that, either."

A silence followed on the carriage, and Merle turned back around. Without warning, she bolted for the exit and jumped out of the moving cart. Landing in the sand with a roll, Merle went on all fours to get back to the castle. _I don't have much time…_

"MERLE!" The advisors called out to her, but she didn't dare look back.

_Whatever Shina is planning, I have to stop it…Before they get hurt!_

* * *

Hitomi's feet were stuck to the ground. _I know you're there…_Paranoia started to come into her mind and her heart sped up again. 

The pendant, shining lightly, pulsed in tune.

She looked down. _Huh? The…pendant has a—a heartbeat? _Green eyes closed as she concentrated. The jumbled mess of a vision sprang into view, but one part started to slow down and played out in its entirety.

She was running…Hitomi could not see where, it was too dark…But, she was running at top speeds. When something silver caught her eye in front of her, she started to panic. _I know this vision…No! Van! _Her body continued to run forward as the silver light got closer, illuminating the frame of a body…_Van! _A wave of fear washed over her as she saw him, running towards her and—

Hitomi's eyes and mouth flung open in shock as if the sword had already punctured her. Her stance was no longer right up against the wall; instead, she was crouched down, almost sitting on the floor. The intensity of that vision…_It's going to happen very soon…But that doesn't mean that I can't try to stop it…_

Visibly shaking, Hitomi got back to her feet. She shut her eyes again and concentrated. _Where do I go now? _The pendant shone in her line of sight and it pointed to the entrance of the hallway she was next to. She knew it.

Hitomi clutched her sword tightly, holding it out in front of her to attack. _Three! _She spun around quickly with her eyes shut. Hitomi paused before peeking.

The hallway was empty.

Her breathing picked up again. _Where is he! _She walked forward, cautiously, holding the sword out, ready to slash anyone.

But no one was there.

There were no doors, no alcoves…no hiding places. _This is…This is impossible…_Hitomi continued to walk straight ahead.

Until she met a wall.

_Oh no…dead end…No…_Fear resounded everywhere in her body. Hitomi's palms got sweaty and she almost dropped her sword. _No way out… _Seemingly defeated, Hitomi pushed her head against the wall.

That's when she heard it.

She put her ear to the door and heard voices…a lot of voices…and wind.…_The exit to the castle is behind this wall! _

She cursed every single god she could think of. _Not even a window…_From her angle, with her head against the wall, her eyes could see all the bruises and cuts she had gotten from this little game of cat and mouse. Her knees and elbows were scratched, fingers bloody and her neck…She put two fingers to touch her wounds and found it to be sore and red. Tears sprang to her eyes as she turned around and ran towards the only exit. Her legs were tiring out…everything hurt…

But the pendant continued to pulse.

Faster and faster.

Hitomi stretched her legs out to cover as much ground as possible. She made it back to her previous position, slammed her body against the wall and sat down. Her heavy breathing was cracking her lips and drying out her throat. It felt like it was on fire.

_There must be something I'm missing…_Hitomi stared at the ceiling. _Where is he? _Her eyes darted back and forth down the hallway. The pink light helped her see, but it did not illuminate what she wanted to see. _Where is he? _Her mind choked as she began to sob again. _He's supposed to be here to finish me off! _

Faster and faster.

A new thought hit her. _But why? Shina is behind this…But why does she want me dead? Maybe it's just because she wants to, but…why?_

She slowly stood up and began to drag her feet towards a new stretch of passageways. _I need to get out of here…Before he finds me…before he—he…_

Hitomi did not finish her thoughts as she started to pick up a tired pace. _I need to find the exit…_Tears fell from her face. _Please…I need…to find an exit! _She started to get hysterical as her brain got fuzzy. _I need to get out! I _need _to leave! Let me leave! I want to leave! Let me go!_

Her eyes could barely take in her surroundings; everything was fading to black. Her heart was pounding so hard; she thought that it would explode.

Faster and faster.

Her feet hit the pavement, but she could no longer hear it. She swallowed thickly but continued to move unaware through the hallway.

Her vision got cloudier. But she could not mistake what she saw for anything.

A silver line coming towards her.

The pendant shone brighter as Hitomi ran mutely.

Faster and faster.

She thought she heard a yell, but her mind was no longer there. Her muscles worked on stray impulses and continued to do so even as the silver line came closer. She was totally unaware of her danger.

Faster and faster.

The light from the pendant was shining so brightly that Hitomi could see Van's outline. She could barely register what was going on.

Faster and faster.

And then…

It stopped.

The light from the pendant suddenly disappeared. She was left in the dark, blindly running until she felt something push through her. It burned. Oh, how it burned. Hitomi could barely feel it, but it was there. Pain shot through her nerves and delivered the feeling to every part of her body.

She was dimly aware that she was falling backwards and that his sword was removed from her. Her head hit the stone floor hard. Before she lost consciousness, she felt sticky and warm.

With a shallow breath, she wrapped herself in her warmth and fell asleep, not wanting the cold to catch up with her.

There was a pause in the darkness. Everything in the hallway stilled. One body crouched over the other with a marvel at what he had done…_Shh…Hitomi…that's a good girl…  
**You like the blood don't you?  
**Yes...  
**Finish her...**_

He wordlessly put a leg on either side of her body and positioned his sword above his head. He held his stance—  
**_And he crashed it upon her head  
_**—and waited. And waited.

As continued to stare at her, something stirred deep inside him. Something was wrong with this picture. He felt himself coming back to reality…The haze had lifted; reuniting his soul with his body...and mass confusion and fear set in. His position dropped and the sword was placed beside them.

Van furrowed his brow as he looked at Hitomi's sleeping form.

"…Hitomi…?"

* * *

Omg. This chapter turned out worse than I thought it would. Oh God, I think I've hit another writers block. 

Arg. Not much to say here…Please, critic me! Only you can save me from my hideous writing…grr…

PLEASE REVIEW


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Disclaimer: **I didn't own anything in the last ten chapters…I didn't own anything in the last seven chapters…What makes you think this chapter is any different? I don't own anything!

**To all who reviewed: **Thanks for your reviews and your praise and your advice of keep going:D I'm so happy!

**Chapter Eighteen**

"…Hitomi?" Van called again. He gently patted her face with his hand. "Come on…Wake up…"

Her head rolled to the side.

"Hitomi! Wake up!" Now he was concerned. _What's wrong with—? _His thought remained unfinished as he noticed something warm was seeping through his pants and onto his legs.

In the poor light, Van could barely see anything. But he could smell it in the air. _…That's…  
**Watch you bleed  
**She's bleeding!  
**Her blood  
**_He noticed that he was covered in it…from head to toe. Van jumped off her and tried to see the wound, however, it was too dark.

The pendant had stopped pulsing.

When he saw his sword on the ground beside her, his muddled brain put two and two together. His heart pumped loudly as he stared wide-eyed at the scene before him. A wave of nausea came, but he kept it down.

_Oh gods…what have I done? _"HITOMI!" He yelled at her, next to her ear. Her eyelids fluttered, but no other movement was made. Van's moves became frantic between lightly shaking her and patting her face. "Hitomi! Please! HITOMI!"

_Staying in the dark isn't helping! _A rational thought finally passed through Van's mind. _You have to get some light so you can clean the wound! You can't help her if you can't see her! _"Yes…Yes, that's what I'll do…" He mumbled to himself, trying to pass off his own hysteria.

Bringing his arms out and cradling her against his stomach, he walked as swiftly as he could towards the nearest door. Hitomi's body was feeling heavy and the way her head was craned backwards tightened Van's stomach.

Coming to the first door he knew would have a window, he kicked it open with his foot, while managing to balance himself. The setting sun's red and orange light poured in from two large windows on the right of the room. It illuminated his bookshelves, his desk, his papers, his chairs…everything that was in his study. "Yes…this will do…" Van panted.

Moving some chairs aside, he laid Hitomi on the ground carefully. She looked so peaceful as she rested there.  
**_She won't wake up  
_**Too peaceful.

Van jumped over his desk, towards the cabinet where he kept that one bottle of alcohol he got as a gift. _Where is that thing? Come on! Where is it! _Throwing open the doors to the cabinet, Van pushed aside all other glass vials which fell onto the wood floor with a crash. He barely realized that some of the glass had dug into his skin and feet. _Where is it! Where ARE YOU!_

His eyes lit up when he found it on the second shelf behind some scented oil. Pulling it out, he unscrewed the top and rushed back to Hitomi.

She hadn't moved.

_You need a rag…_Van's mind scolded. _There are some in the linen closet…Or in the medicinal area……But that's so far away. I don't have that time…_He looked around the room for something—anything.

He quickly removed his shirt, as it was the cleanest article of cloth in the vicinity of his study. Pulling out a small dagger from the inside of his boot, Van proceeded to cut up most of his shirt into strips, leaving two large patches out.

Putting the strips beside him, he grabbed the bigger sections and dosed them in the alcohol. Squeezing out the excess, he pulled up Hitomi's shirt—just up to the wound—and paused. "This'll sting." He whispered to her.

Rubbing and dabbing the piece of cloth around the area, he saw Hitomi's abdomen muscles twitch under the stinging sensation the alcohol was supplying. _That's a good girl…_

With the light in the room, Van stopped using the damp cloth until he thought her stomach was clean. He inspected the cut closely, seeing that it was a clean strike…all the way through. Usually, his teacher would congratulate him for that.

But now was not the time.

Turning his attention back to the strips, he tied them all together, end to end, to form one long strip. He looked back at Hitomi and saw that wrapping his makeshift bandage all around her would be tricky. _The back! You have to clean the back! Idiot! _Van dropped the strip and grabbed the alcohol vial. He yelled at himself mentally for not remembering.

Grunting in strain, he picked up her torso and holding her shirt up in one hand, he used his other alcohol-drenched cloth to clean the exit wound. It was harder to see when it was clean and it was harder to keep Hitomi upright in that position for so long. Van's muscles strained and shook, but he would not give in.

Once he thought he had done a sufficient job, he held this position and reached for the strips. Van wrapped it around her frame, hoping that by pressuring the wound, it would stop blood flow…just as his teacher had taught him.

He tightened the knot that held everything together and laid her down again on the floor, bringing relief to his sore arm. Van breathed out loudly, closing his eyes as he did so. As they reopened, they filled with tears. That brief moment where he stopped being a medic brought the seriousness of the situation back, full force. _What have I done? _

Van sniffed and started to rock back and forth as he sat. Covering his head with his hands, he repeated his thoughts. _What have I done? What have I done to her? _He watched through blurry eyes as Hitomi's chest rose and fell with consistency. But it was a shaky breath every time. _Oh gods…Oh gods…What have I done? _

He looked her over: she was cut and bloody on her knees, arms and neck. Her most serious injury was the one he had just cleaned, but she would still be in pain when she woke up. _I don't want to see you hurt…_

Taking her wrist in his own hand, the tears finally fell. "Hitomi…I'm—I'm so sorry…I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" His body shook with grief. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and tell her that everything would be okay.

But he couldn't.

He wiped his tears with a bloody hand, leaving a streak of red on his face. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He cried out, in between sobs and tears. "Oh gods…I'm sorry!" Van continued to cry over her form and eventually, pulled her into an embrace. _I'm sorry…Hitomi…I'm so sorry…_

Van sat there with Hitomi draped in his arms, with the scene of his country scrambling to save anything it had left from the window. _This is what we were predicting? _His mind changed as he studied the outside more closely. Even in the horizon, things did not look good. _Everything that I loved taken away from me? Was this it?_ He buried his head in her hair and combed his fingers of one of his hands supporting her back through it.

"What have I done to you? What have I done to everything?" He whispered as his tears wet her hair.

"You've been a very bad boy, Van."

Van's head snapped up, thinking that Hitomi had responded to him. Realizing that this was not the case, he turned his head and his eyes towards the door. All his movements were slow, as he was not expecting anyone to reply to his question.

Shina strode into the room, with a playful smirk on her lips. "Such a bad little boy, my king. What am I going to do with you?"

His eyes darted between Hitomi and Shina. Van grit his teeth and growled at her. _I am not letting Hitomi slip from my grasp again. _"Go to hell."

She wagged her finger at him. "Now, now. No need for bad language. That is no way to talk to a lady."

"You're not a lady."

"Oh, of course! How silly of me…I'm your loving wife." She replied after a thought, in a mocking tone.

Van furrowed his brow and breathed heavily through his teeth. "No. You will _never _be my wife."

"Very true, my love." Shina smiled as her mask disappeared. "Because when I'm through with your precious planet…and with you…there will be nothing left to be wed to!"

He glared at her through his bangs and watched as she walked closer to him. Every step she took, he clung more tightly to Hitomi. "Oh, Van, don't worry," Shina broke the staring contest, noticing his movements with the other woman's body, "I'm not after her any more. You took care of her for me."

"No!" Van shouted, turning his head away from Shina's penetrating gaze.

"You took awful good care of her, didn't you?" The withered, wrinkled face smiled at him, bringing new crevices to her face. "Look what a nice job you did."

"Stop it!" All of his composure to stand up to her failed and he was left with all his insecurities about the fate of all of them there in Gaea.

"Oh, come now. Why won't you embrace your skills, Van? Not many people can do such a thing like this, you know."

Van turned to look at the creature. Between shouts of anger and tears, he shouted, "I didn't do anything! I would never do this to her!"

"Oh, but you did…"

"No…No…" He turned his head away and continued to hug Hitomi's body closer. Van breathed loudly through his mouth in an attempt to quiet his sobbing and shaking. His heart was pounding too fast and too loudly that he thought for sure everyone could hear it.

Shina stepped closer, standing over him. In an instant, she dug her nails into his scalp, smiling at his obvious discomfort. Pulling his head up, her blue eyes shone. "Don't you remember anything?"

Van swallowed as he replayed what he knew in his mind. _The castle…it was…un—under attack…I grabbed Hitomi and we started running……I went into my training room and…and……_That was all his memory could dish out before he found himself on top of Hitomi with his sword in his hand. His eyes filled with fear. _Oh no…No…impossible…I couldn't…_

Thin lips curled. She took his silence as his realization. "Do you see what a horrible person you are?"

Van searched his mind for anything that would clear his conscious of his crime. But he found nothing. He could not remember anything between the time in his training room and moments before he ended up in his study. _Why can't you remember? Why only up to the training room? _

His mind could not supply him with an answer as his emotions took over his senses. "No…"

Her nails drew blood. "You are a bad, bad person, my king…"

Van didn't know what to do anymore. His entire body froze. His mind was blank as he knew that the probability of him hurting Hitomi were very high. "I—I'm sorry…I did—didn't mean to…" He struggled with his words, as his body was not moving right.

"Don't deny it, my love…" Shina crouched down next to him, hand on his head. "You enjoyed it."

"NO!" Van screamed. He furiously shook his head from left to right, repeating that phrase. His heart almost exploded. _I couldn't have…I would never…How could I?…Oh gods, oh gods…We need to get help…_

"Oh, Van…" She cooed at him, flicking her wrist to force him to look at her. Her blue eyes shone and reflected off his dark maroon ones. "Lying will get you no where…"

"Please…I'm sorry…" He whispered, his mind still frozen with shock and disbelief and anguish. "I didn't mean to…"

"Oh, we never mean to do anything Van…especially when someone gets hurt." Shina's tone became compassionate. _Even after a full possession like that, I can still control him with half my power…poor little Draconian, look what I can make you do…_

Van looked at her closely, focusing on her eyes…

"Of course, _I_ believe you…I know you didn't mean to, my love. However," she paused, looking at Van's face, "I don't think anyone else will…"

"They have to understand…" He mumbled at her. _There is something wrong here…Her acting…She's changed her personality. This isn't making sense…_

"No. They will not. All they are going to see is a murderous king who will do away with anyone who gets in their way. Don't you remember what happened?" Her eyes shone brighter. "Hitomi and I got into an argument…about the wedding. She insulted me so many times…"

Shina lifted the sleeve of her gown and showed Van little cuts along her arms. "She hurt me, Van…Hitomi picked up a dagger and slashed me…

"I told you not to do anything drastic, but you wouldn't listen to me…You declared her a prisoner of the state; you wanted her captured, dead or alive. The people became chaotic …everywhere in the city people were trying to find her…to please you. But, you took matters into your own hands.

"When you found her, you chased her down and stabbed her in the stomach…All because you were defending my honour. No one likes a violent king: no one wants a king who will turn on people so quickly…" Shina trailed off the last part of her sentence, waiting for Van to acknowledge her story. _Believe me…I know…_

She waited for her little spell to work. _The possession is still inside you, my love._

And waited.

Van stared at her for a long time, absorbing her tale. _When she came in, I immediately turned angry…Now, I feel comfortable around her…Like she wants to help me…_Breaking the stare she was giving him, he looked at Hitomi. Her shirt covered her wound; it was not visible. His sword was nowhere to be seen. Maroon eyes darted back and forth between the two women and his breathing hitched.

A familiar feeling of being held back resurfaced as he gazed at Shina again.

But Van's mind started to race. The feeling increased as he stared deeply into her eyes. _Look away, dammit! _His mind screamed. _There's something wrong with her eyes! _

Breaking the contact, the feeling was gone.

And the pendant gave off a faint glow. _Van…break free…_

He heard Shina gasp at his actions. Looking back at Hitomi, his unfinished thought of Shina's suspicious story came back.

"How did you know I stabbed her?"

He felt her grip from his head loosen. "My love…I—I saw you…"

"Why didn't you stop me if you saw me?" Van's mind was working logic. _If she saw me, then why did she not enter the room earlier? If she was so concerned about me not doing anything 'drastic' why did she watch? Why didn't she rush to help me? Why?_

An answer finally came to him. _She doesn't care if Hitomi lives or dies…_ A memory of one of Hitomi's and his talks came back. _She _wants_ her dead._ "Liar."

"W—What?"

"Liar." He repeated, tone getting angry. The pendant continued to increase its light intensity steadily. "You couldn't have known…"

Shina was taken back. _How can it stop working?_ "My love, please, this horrible woman was out to harm—"

"—Shut up!" Van yelled, clenching his fists. He stole a quick glance at her, remembering the picture Hitomi had drawn through his foggy memories. "You're a monster…"

"My love—"

"—Do NOT address me as that!" Van breathed out, glaring. The pendant's light was starting to become overpowering. _We need to get help!_

_That pendant! _Shina's mind screamed. _It is helping him! Mine is not overpowering it! No! But…It did not work before…why now? _Her compassionate face twisted with anger. Releasing Van's head from her grasp, she made a move to rip off the pendant from around Hitomi's neck. _Even in death she interferes! _

As her skinny, bony fingers encircled the pendant, she yelled a shriek of pain. The pendant's light, which was so purifying to release Van from the evil that consumed him, that it burned her hand, rendering it useless. When she released it from her grasp, it floated up from Hitomi's neck and turned white.

The white dot of light soon spread outwards to create a column to encircle both Van and Hitomi. Shina looked on, clutching her damaged hand with her blue eyes shining with shock. _How can this be? He can't leave now…I still need answers! Stupid Draconian! You will not be free from my grasp! _

Pushing the power of her own black pendant outwards, Shina tried everything in her power to stop Van from retreating back to the Mystic Moon again. Gray lightning bolts exploded from Shina's pendant but merely rebounded off the bright, white light being emitted from the column. "NO!"

She watched, wordlessly, as their bodies levitated upwards. The roof of the castle that was in the way of the column's path was destroyed to let them through. Her white hair whipped around her wrinkled skin in a sick dance as Van and Hitomi continued to rise. _Why can't I stop them? _

Van's back arched outwards and in a flash, his wings appeared, brilliantly expelling millions of soft white feathers around his study. As she sat on the ground, holding her hand, Shina watched as her original plan to steal the workings of Escalfowne crumble away. She growled as the column started to recede, finally feeling the effects of her pendant.

But they were safe from her; her magic could not reach them. They were returning to the Mystic Moon. _Coward…_Shina snarled. She stood up shakily and dusted herself off, careful of her hand. It was smoking and charred upon closer inspection. _That witch…They will learn to never get in my way again…They will loath the day they crossed me…_

Drifting to the window, Shina watched how well her army was working. The destruction was taking place…she only needed one more thing, and those two could not hide from her forever. She looked down at all the people who paused to watch Van and Hitomi leave Gaea. One in particular was a pink-haired feline: Merle.

And the creature smiled. _When I'm through with him, there will be nothing left for him but death…and I will gladly give it to him…by means of his own strengths…_

The scene before her was a sight of beauty to only her. Fires had claimed many markets and the force of soldiers brought down many homes. People were running away, but for the briefest moment, they all looked up to see the angel in a column of light. Feathers floated all around them with such gentleness, which contrasted the evil that surrounded the people.

Merle had stopped running, seeing that it was too late to try to help them. _They're getting help elsewhere…Oh Van, what happened?_

Shina turned away from the window with a smirk. _No, they can not hide from me forever…But in the mean time, I will use their absence to make sure that everyone gets what they deserve…_Replacing her mask, she strode out of the room, careful not to step in the puddle of blood that Hitomi had made.

And to not disturb the one white feather that fell there, colouring it red.

* * *

Van had shut his eyes for the most part of the journey, but he held on tightly to Hitomi's frame. When he felt something hit his feet, he opened his eyes to see that it was still night time on the Mystic Moon and that they were at Hitomi's living quarters again…on the floor of the balcony. 

His feet landed gracefully and looked around him as the pillar of light faded with sparkling fragments. He noticed that everything was right where they left it. Nothing had changed. The same 'automobiles' were outside in the same place. _No time has passed here? _He shook the thought away as Hitomi's weight in his arms presented a more urgent thought. _We need to get help! I need to find a medical area…_

Van jumped off the balcony and used his wings to slow his fall. He made they disappear soon afterwards and he began to run towards the area where all the cars were moving.

_I will not let you slip from my grasp, Hitomi…  
**But there was no angel to save her

* * *

**_

8D I hoped you liked it!

As you can see, the pendant finally worked! I call it, the power of love…and the power of goodness. Since it purified Shina, it was able to stop her powers from working to their full extent, so the pendant managed to bring them to Earth! w00t!

Shina likes to bend the truth, doesn't she?

And also, HURRAY! Van figured it out! Well, almost all of it, anyway…Don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon!

PLEASE REVIEW

PS. Will Van be able to find the hospital? What WILL happen next…on Earth AND on Gaea?


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Disclaimer: **Two words…I wish.

**To all who reviewed: **THANKS A LOT! (sends love) I hope youwere satisfied with my writing for these last couple of chapters…I worked out all the kinks in my plot, BUT, I do not have an ending yet. Any ideas?

**Chapter Nineteen**

Van ran as fast as his legs could carry him, still holding Hitomi in his arms. He was tired and his body burned. But he kept running. _I need to get help…_

Coming to the edge of the sidewalk, Van did not stop as Hitomi told him to do several times the first day he was here. Instead, he ran through the passing traffic, not hearing the honks or the rude comments from the drivers.

In the middle of the lane going east, he stopped in his tracks. From his location, he could see straight down, with no tall buildings in his way. As he stood there, his thoughts were interrupted as cars that had to stop honked at him.

Van turned, eyes full of fear. _What are they going to do? _He clutched onto her body tightly but he was frozen; caught like a deer in the headlights.

"Get off the road!" He heard them shout. Angry honks were emitted from the cars and breaks squealed. However, soon, everyone stayed quiet as they saw just exactly what the man was holding in his arms.

Maroon eyes darted from car to car. Finding their silence uncomfortable, Van shouted, "I need help!" He paused, "I need…to find medicinal area! Please! Please!"

One man in dark blue pants and a white shirt stepped out of his car and walked towards him. "Sir…" He started, noticing the jerky motions the man was making. _Don't get too close,_ his mind warned, _He must be crazy…_ "I'm going to call—"

"NO! No…" Van shouted at him, moving away from the stranger. "Where is it?"

The man looked perplexed, but pointed down the road. "It is where that red cross is. Do you see it?"

Van's eyes followed the outstretched finger and caught sight of the cross. Without another word, he took off down the road, leaving the drivers in shock. The man returned to his car, took out his cell phone and dialed 911. "Y—Yes, I'd like to report an emergency…"

His feet hit the pavement hard, still on the road. Cars swerved to avoid crashing into him, but Van was not distracted by them anymore. His eyes were focused on the red, illuminated cross up ahead.

Finally, he got off the road and onto the sidewalk, as it was a faster route. The cross got closer and closer to him and he pushed forward. Hitomi still lay silently in his arms; her head bobbing every time Van took a step.

A different kind of horn was now in the air and it was accompanied by flashing white and yellow lights. Van kept running, paying no attention to it.

Over a field of grass and running through shrubs, Van started to slow down. The red cross was in front of him now. A red sign, reading 'Emergency' was also there. The emergency building was white and very big. He walked closer to the entrance. The doors opened by themselves as Van got closer; startled, he stepped back and they closed. _They know I'm here…_ He gulped and walked towards them again and walked through quickly. Turning around, he saw them close.

He staggered forward, his arms starting to feel the weight Hitomi was supplying to them. From the darkness outside, to the brightness inside, Van squinted as his pupils adjusted. Looking around, he saw some people in white jackets but everyone was wearing the same kind of baggy pants and shirts…but in different colours. The floors were tiled with white squares and the walls were beige. The air smelled…different than outside.

_This must be the medicinal area…_There were green chairs everywhere and a table with thin books on them. As he continued to walk, some people who were sitting on the chairs stared at him. One woman started to scream and called over one of the people in the baggy pants. Van's eyes darted back and forth.

The woman in the purple baggy pants had dark hair and dark eyes. "Sir…Are you okay? Sir?" She looked at the woman in his arms. The dirty blonde woman was cut and bleeding; possibly unconscious…the man was also covered in blood and bruises.

Van stared down at her because of her small stature. "She needs help…" He mumbled, motioning to Hitomi. He felt his jaw ache after each word he said.

"Yes, yes…" The woman nodded, pulling Van forward. He arrived at a white desk with a green top and watched her talk into a black box. Her voice then increased in volume and echoed throughout the room. "We have a code blue in the emergency ward. All available doctors report to the emergency ward. Code blue."

Soon, many people in white surrounded Van. He started to get dizzy. _What are they going to do?_ The nurse who called the code blue, talked to the head doctor, telling him the situation. "The woman is bleeding…I think the man is unstable…He looks frightened—possibly grief stricken or traumatized, I'm not sure…"

"Sir," The head doctor, tall man with glasses, turned to Van and said, "We're here to help."

Van regarded the man with a wary eye, but extended his arms forward. _This must be their medicine man…_A bed with wheels rolled underneath his arms and with the help of the other staff, they moved her body so that she rested on the bed. He watched, confused at all the strings and other things that they were attaching to Hitomi's body.

They started to move, Van following close behind, the bed down a corridor with more of the bright lights on the ceiling. A woman in a green uniform put a mask on Hitomi's face while a man in a blue uniform stuck little white pads to Hitomi's chest.

The tall man with glasses was talking quickly to the others, and their pace was increasing towards two big doors at the end of the hall. Van watched Hitomi as he moved towards the doors but as she disappeared behind them, two men—each in green uniforms—told him to stop.

"Sir, you can't be here." One said.

"N—No…I have to be with her…" Van said shakily. "You don't understand…" His eyes darted between both men, pleadingly.

"I'm sorry sir. No one but authorized personnel are allowed in the OR." The other said.

"Please…I n—need to be there with her…" He was getting desperate, breathing hard. _I can't leave her alone…_Van stepped forward.

"Sir, please step back." The first one said, holding out his hand and placing it, palm out, on Van's bloody chest.

"No…N—No, you don't understand…" Van started. "Please, I need—"

The second man came closer. "You need to stay in the waiting area until the doctor's are finished."

"No! NO!" Van leaped forward, reaching for the doors. "Hitomi! NO! Let go of me!" The two men had grabbed both of his arms, but Van continued to kick and struggle. "No! No!"

He jerked the heel of his boot into the first man's shin. It had gained Van some ground, but the man was quick to recover. Others were coming to aid the two men to control the man. Van elbowed one man in the jaw, but another took his place. "NO! Stop it! I—I need to be there! HITOMI!" His muscles burned from the overexertion but Van kept going.

The doors were getting farther and farther away as the group of people pulled him back into the waiting room. "Sir! Sir, please calm down! Hitomi is in good hands!" They repeated to him, but Van lashed out. Managing to land a few more hits, one of the fallen men called a female over.

Rubbing his jaw where the impact of Van's fist had come in contact with, he reported to the woman, "Get some Valium; we need him to calm down."

She went behind the nurses' desk and returned with a syringe. "Try to hold his arms steady! Please!"

Van continued to thrash wildly in the arms of his capturers. "No! Please!" All around him were flashes of green, blue and white with different tones of skin. At the corner of his eye, he saw the woman approach him. Her hair was light blonde and her eyes were blue. "Get away from me!" He shouted at her, pulling away as far as he could, but the men had finally gotten a grip on all his limbs.

Especially on his bloody hands.

He felt something prick his arm and he felt something seep into his veins. Something from that thin little tube that was clear slipped under his skin. He _felt _it move; going up and down the other parts of his arm.  
**_Cold  
_**Van's heart pumped hard, but all his attempts at breaking free and rushing to Hitomi's side were fruitless. His reactions began to slow down; his legs and arms no longer moved fluidly. _What's…ha—happening…? _Van's mind got fuzzy and suddenly, he was very tired. "Hi…tom…"

His eyes rolled back in his head and his body slumped back. The men stopped holding on to him but positioned him so that he was lying down on the chairs more comfortably. His legs hung off the edge and his arm was on the floor, but his breathing was regular. The hospital workers returned to work with one of them staying behind to watch the man who no one had a name for yet.

* * *

Van's sleep was dreamless. He awoke several hours later when he felt something cool and wet on his face. The complete darkness that his eyes saw before lightened to gray. He groaned softly and listened to the sounds of the emergency area. People were walking around and there was light chatter. For a moment, Van forgot where he was.

Everything hurt. His muscles and bones ached, his head pounded and all his joints were stiff. His ankle and jaw were hurting a lot too.

The cool and wet sensation came back, breaking his thoughts. He stirred and opened his eyes. The room was much brighter as sunlight streamed in from the entrance. Looking in his peripheral vision, he saw a woman in a purple uniform kneeling on the ground beside him. He turned his head to the side, but she continued to clean the dried red stains off his arms.

With a dry throat and cracked lips, Van mumbled, "What are you doing?" The woman was startled and she dropped the cloth she was using. Turning to face him, he realized she was the same woman who gave him that prick in the arm. The one with light blonde hair and the blue eyes. _Shina! _

Before she could return to her work of cleaning him, Van grabbed her wrist in his hand, earning a gasp of surprise. "What. Are. You. Doing?" He asked again, bringing his voice as low as possible. He tightened his grip.

"Sir…I'm only try—trying to help…" She pleaded. Although he did not trust her blue eyes, there was fear in them…real fear. _She's afraid of me…_He released her wrist.

"I'm sorry…" Van apologized. _They think I'm a monster too…_ "I didn't mean to…"

The nurse rubbed her wrist. "It's okay, sir…I'm sorry for giving you a fright, but the doctor asked me to clean you up and check if you have any injuries…"

Van brought his gaze up to the ceiling. "Do I?"

"Nothing serious…" The nurse replied. "A few bruises; quite a large one on your jaw there…Your ankle looked badly sprained though. Any idea on how you got that?"

He paused. "I ran a lot." Van tried to sit up, but the affects of the Valium didn't let him. He was still tired and his body was not responding right.

"Oh…" The woman said in response to his answer. She brought the wet cloth to his abdomen where other stains were and Van hissed. The cloth was removed in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"It hurts there…" Van could not give her an answer when she asked why. _I don't remember…_

She pressed against the sore softly, removing the dried blood and revealing more bruises. "What is your name, sir?" The woman asked softly. "You're a John Doe around here…"

Van raised an eyebrow at the name she gave him. "My name is Van. Van Fanel…" His throat was cracking. "I need water…" He mumbled after a minute. The woman asked him if he could sit up. He tried and he slowly started to rise.

She returned with a small cup with some water in it. Van drank it slowly, letting it sooth his parched throat. He mumbled a 'thank you' to the woman and crushed the paper cup in his hand.

His head was spinning, but the haze had lifted, and he remembered why he was there in the first place. "Where's Hitomi?" Van asked, trying to keep himself upright.

The woman looked at him compassionately. "Mrs. Kanzaki is doing well. Would you like to see her?"

Van swallowed. "Yes." He pushed himself off the chairs with his hands and slowly brought himself upright. Blood rushed to his head, but Van shook it off. He limped forward, trying not to put too much pressure on his sprained foot and grabbed onto the woman's shoulder for assistance.

"She's been taken out of the ICU and is now in her own room…" The woman talked as the two of them walked along. Van did not understand what she meant, but he held on to her for good measure. _Hitomi…_

They passed by many corridors and finally came upon the right one. Her room was A295 as the woman said earlier and Van recognized the name on the chart next to the door. The woman turned to him and said, "Would you like me to get a shirt for you, Mr. Fanel?"

He suddenly remembered that he was indeed topless and nodded awkwardly. The woman gave him one of the hospital gowns and then opened the door to Hitomi's room.

The room was a light green with a large window facing the roads with the automobiles passing by. She was laying down on one of those beds again, but they had changed her clothes into the gown that he currently wore. There were tubes everywhere on her body; in her nose, on her arms…and each was attached to another strange device that Van could not identify.

Beside Hitomi's bed was another woman with dark, shoulder length hair, who had looked up when he came in the room. Her dark eyes regarded him sadly and arrived back to Hitomi a few seconds later with the same look of sadness.

On the other side of Hitomi's bed, with their backs to the window, were two people who Van vaguely remembered. They looked extremely familiar, but he could not think of their names. They too raised their eyes to see who was at the door, but they continued to stare at him, trying to place his name as well.

The woman in the purple uniform came inside, somewhat dragging Van into the room. She motioned him to sit on a chair on the same side of the dark haired woman. Van sat quietly and slowly, not making eye contact with anyone in the room. He put his hands in his lap and stared at his twitching fingers instead.

The nurse checked Hitomi's heart rate, breathing and her IV; all were functioning normally. She said a few words to the four about Hitomi's condition before leaving.

"The antibiotics are working well. Hitomi has not gotten an infection…the probability of it happening now are lower…The blood transfusion was a success; there was not a problem there…The wound and the organs hit have been stitched up. We are lucky Mr. Fanel brought her in so early; the lacerations found on her intestines would have created more problems if left untreated for too long. She's on her way to a recovery, Mrs. Kanzaki, don't you worry. The doctor will be coming by shortly. If you have any questions, Dr. Ling will answer them……I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I need to return to my desk. Goodbye…"

Van did not look up at anyone as the nurse left. _That woman there is her mother…But, those other too…The man with the dark hair looks like Allen…_

"What did you do to my daughter?" A voice broke Van's thoughts and his head shot straight up to meet the hardened gaze of Hitomi's mother. He swallowed and returned his head to his hands.

"Answer me!" She cried, clutching Hitomi's frail hand a bit tighter. Tears that had welled up in her eyes had finally started to fall.

Van shook. "I—I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" He replied, voice cracking just above a whisper.

"How could you do this to her, you bastard!" Hitomi's mother cried. Van closed his eyes tightly, wanting to shut himself away from his situation.

Suddenly, Amano got up from his chair. The tension was unbearable and he didn't want anything drastic to happen between the two. He did not know what this man was capable of and he did not want to find out. _If this man harmed Hitomi…who knows what else he can do…_ "Mrs. Kanzaki, please…let's go for a walk…You've been in here all night…"

She started to cry audibly and Amano needed to help her stand up. They left quickly with Amano shutting the door behind them.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Van muttered to the other woman. Finally looking up at her, Yukari saw the bruises on his face and the redness in his eyes from all the crying. "I would never want to harm her! I…I l—love her! I love her!" All his control shattered at the last three words and he broke down and cried. Van placed his head on the bars around Hitomi's bed and covered his face with his arms.

The woman with the red hair looked at him sadly. "What happened?" She asked softly.

Between sobs, Van answered a quick, "I don't know…"

"Was it some sort of war on that place?" Yukari prodded her memory to see if Hitomi had ever told her the name of the location the dragon man was from. "You know, from that light?"

Van's eyes adverted upwards. "How do you know that?"

Yukari gave a small smile. "I was there…the first and second time you came to Earth. Hitomi told me things…I'm surprised I still remember you. Well, how _could_ I forget about the boy who stole Hitomi's heart?"

Van eyes looked down at Hitomi's form. She wasn't bloody anymore…her hair was matted to her face…but she was very pale. _Fragile…As if she could break…_Grief filled his heart. _And I did this to her…I made her like this…_He reached out to touch her hand cautiously, afraid that she would crumble to dust if he touched her.

But she didn't.

And her hand felt warm.

He placed his hand on top of hers, and rubbed it. _But why would I do this to her? I would never…I would never ever dream of hurting her…She's my light. I would never do this…_Not looking at Yukari, Van spoke slowly. "Something happened there…"

"What?" Yukari pushed.

"She was only trying to help my kingdom…and now, she's in control…"

* * *

The comforting darkness wrapped protectively around her. It made her feel secure, safe, blissful and warm. Deep down, she did not want to leave.

But she knew that she would have to.

When added warmth came into her senses, she almost smiled. _I have to leave soon…The angel is coming for me…_

The hand that she had been waiting for as she fell into the darkness had not come. She had waited for him to swoop down and save her, like he always did. She had waited…and waited…She had almost given up hope…

Until now.

Although she could not see it, she felt it. Her whole body filled with tingling sensations because the angel had arrived.

It also filled with an icy chill than ran straight to her bones. _It isn't over yet…The evil has not been destroyed…_

As always, however, the warmth over took every doubt, concern and unhappiness away…because Hitomi had gotten her angel back.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Yukari asked. "Who's in control? Hitomi?"

Van shook his head. "No…Shi—Someone else is in control…Someone who shouldn't be." Looking back down, he signaled that the conversation was over. Van continued to pet Hitomi's hand. _Please…wake up, Hitomi…I love you too much to see you go!_

Yukari noticed his body language and decided not to ask any more questions about why he came to Earth and exactly what's going on. Instead, she listened to the consistent and continuous beeps and murmurs that the machines Hitomi was hooked up to made. _She's going to be alright…I know…_Her thoughts paused. _HITOMI!_

The body stirred. Van's head jerked up. Both watched in amazement as her eyelashes fluttered opened; she had been asleep for some time

"Oh God! I have to go get Mrs. Kanzaki and Amano!" Yukari's eyes widened, taking in the sight of her friend finally waking up. "Hitomi! Hitomi!" She waved a hand in front of her face.

Hitomi blinked once and let her head fall to the side in Yukari's direction. Her vision was slightly blurry, but she could make out the familiar shapes. _Where is my angel?_ _Where am I? How did I get here? Where's Gaea? Yukari? Is that you? _

She tried to voice her questions, but only a mumble was emitted from her mouth. Yukari stood up. "Hitomi! Stay awake! I'll be right back!" Hitomi returned her head to the middle of the pillow and watched Yukari leave the room in a rush.

Blinking harder and squinting, she noticed someone else in the room. Dark hair and tanned skin…with that tattoo…_My angel? _She looked at him, but he refused to look up. His hand was clutched to hers tightly; he never wanted to let go. Hitomi noticed that he was shaking slightly. _Oh, don't cry…_

Hitomi curled her fingers around his hand and gave him a small smile when he looked up at her. She could not see as clearly as she wanted to, but she could tell that he was indeed crying. _Don't cry…_

They looked at each other for a long time, taking in the sight. Neither could speak, but there was a comfortable silence. _My beautiful angel…We're both better now…Don't cry…_

He continued to pet her hand, in a silent way of asking for her forgiveness. Van could not break his eye contact with her even if he tried. _I am not going to let you go…

* * *

_

Hope you enjoyed it! The last part of this chapter where Hitomi wakes up was added last minute...Hope it isn't too bad.

Don't forget to help me with my ending! (arg! Why can't I think of one?) Come on guys, help a brother out! HAHA!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Disclaimer: **Two words…I wish.

**To all who reviewed: **THANKS A LOT! (sends love) I can't express my thanks is words! You guys are amazing! (sends chocolate) Anyway, hope I didn't keep you waiting!

**Chapter Twenty**

Throughout the rest of the day, Hitomi continued to drift in and out of sleep. Van was rooted in his spot and while the others walked around to get food from the hospital cafeteria, he ignored his stomach and sat there, watching her.

Every so often, the pendant around his neck would glow faintly. _We've tired it out…_ Van was close to losing his control when he realized that the pendant was no longer around her neck. He had asked the other three with a frantic tone and the mother replied that she had it. With her permission, he asked if she could give it to him. Apparently, the doctors had removed it when they stitched her up and her mother had held it during that time.

Since that bit of movement, Van had stayed immobile by Hitomi's side, watching her wake up and then fall asleep again. He did not want to miss a moment. He wanted to make sure that every time she fell asleep, she would wake up again.

He would never forgive himself if she didn't.

His head rested on the bars surrounding her bed with his arms as his cushion. Although the position was a bit uncomfortable, he drifted off to sleep as well.

"Sir," Yukari mumbled, "do you want anything?"

She had disrupted Van's light sleep with her gentle voice. He was not even aware that he had fallen asleep in the first place. "…No…" He responded, although his body screamed at him. _You need food! _

Yukari frowned at him, but went off without another word with Amano. Hitomi's mother sat opposite to Van, eating her own light lunch that Amano had brought for her. _The way he studies her…_She thought as her eyes gazed at his position, _…Even if he did hurt her, he is shows extreme remorse for it. He grieves over her, even though she is going to be okay. He also has his share of wounds…Mostly bruises…Where they in a fight together? Did he try and save her from her attacker and got hit too? How do they know each other? This man can't be a stranger…or else, he would not be acting like this. If he was crazy…_

Her thoughts changed as she noticed the pendant. _That pendant…How did he know about that pendant? Why did he care about it so much? That was from my mother…It was Hitomi's…How does he know about…?_ Suddenly, she remembered a talk with Yukari and Amano when they were still in high school. Gasping quietly, her eyes opened wider. _The days Hitomi had disappeared…is _he _the one from that place? Is this man one of those people? My mother told me about that time…Oh, what did she say?_

Hitomi's mother continued to try to remember the past, but could not get any information. _What is it about that trinket? _She looked at the man by her daughter's side and spoke softly. "She's going to be okay, you know."

He remained silent, eyes stuck to Hitomi's sleeping form.

"Please, have something to eat…Do you like pineapple?" Hitomi's mother outstretched her arm, offering the said fruit from her lunch tray. Van regarded the fruit suspiciously.

"But, that's yours."

"That's alright; I'm not a big fan of pineapple anyway." She smiled lightly, still holding out her tray.

Van reached over and plucked a piece of the triangular yellow fruit with his hands. It was cold and slippery in his fingers and he waited some time before putting it in his mouth. The fruit was very sweet and juicy and Van took an immediate liking to it. "Thank you." He whispered as he swallowed it.

"Here, have the rest. It's going to go in the trash if you don't eat it." Giving him the other pieces of pineapple, Hitomi's mother watched as the foreign man eat it quickly. _If he is from that place, he probably doesn't know what a pineapple is…or any food from here. Perhaps that's why he does not wish to eat from the cafeteria. _

"Thank you." Van repeated as he finished the rest off quickly.

"Would you like to try some others?" Hitomi's mother held out the rest of her tray. Van looked over at the colourful objects that she had been eating and pointed to an orange wedge. "Do you want that one? It's called an orange."

"Why is it named after its colour?"

She chuckled. "You know, I don't know…"

He took it in his hands and noticed that it wasn't as slippery as the pineapple was. As he chewed it, a mixture of sweet and sour flew into his senses. Van's lips puckered at the sourness of the orange, but he liked the tangy flavour. He repeated his thanks to Hitomi's mother, but did not take another piece of fruit from the tray.

"No, please, I insist. It's not healthy to stop eating…"

Van smiled sadly. "It's okay…really, I'm going to be fine." _It's everything else that we should be worrying about…

* * *

_

"Tell me, now, you worthless waste of flesh!" Shina shouted, grabbing Merle's face with her talon-like nails. She dug her nails in deep, making little red indentations on her furry face.

The cat growled sharply. "Don't touch me, you whore!" With that comment, Merle earned a slap in the face.

"Bite your tongue. In case you haven't realized yet, I'm in charge here…"

"No! No you are not!" Millerna shouted from beside Merle. Tears were streaming down her face. It had been too long since she had been separated from Yuki. "Stop this! Let us go…Let us go!"

Shina smiled at the distressed mother and prisoner started to sob. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, you are not leaving these cells until someone tells me the information I require."

"We told you that we don't know how Escaflowne works!" Allen lied. _If we tell her, she'll wreck more havoc on Gaea than her men can…_

"Stupid man. Don't you know that I can tell when you are lying?" She chided him, wagging her finger. "When will you see an opportunity when it is shown to you? All you have to do is say the magic words…"

"And then what? You'll kill us later rather then now?" Merle hissed, seeing through Shina's false logic.

Shina turned her head and glared at the cat. "You will get what is coming to you."

"Yeah? And so will you, Shina!" Merle pulled up and out against the chains that bound her arms to the wall. "You're gonna burn in hell for all of this!"

As the chains rattled, the creature smiled. "I will never die…"

Her black pendant glowed.

After a few more moments of twisting and struggling, Merle finally sat back. "Just….Just wait until Van gets his hands on you…" She mumbled, breathing loudly.

The grin grew. "I'd like to see him even lay a finger on me…"

She strode out of the room with a sick smile on her face and locked the heavy door behind her. _Fools…it'll only be a matter of time…_

"Allen…" Millerna sobbed, "…what has she done to Yuki?"

The blonde king turned to his wife who was chained next to him in the cell. "I don't know…"

"How can you say that! This is Yuki! Our daughter! Tell me!" Fresh tears of frustration poured down her face. Millerna's thoughts were nothing but irrational words.

"Millerna! He doesn't know!" Merle shouted from beside her. "All we can do is hope now…"

"For what?" She yelled, turning her attention to the feline. "Do you expect me to wait here until Van comes to save us? He is NOT coming! He's not returning to us! It's been so long since she brought us in here! It's been TOO long! Don't you think he would know about this? That he would feel it? If he was coming to save us, he would of done so by now!"

"Shut-up!" Merle growled. "Do not talk about Lord Van that way!"

"He's n—not coming back!" Millerna cried. "He—He…" Her sentence trailed off as she sobbed. "…I miss Yuki…" She mumbled some time later.

"Please, stop this…" Allen replied softly. "We have to be strong…"

Merle sagged back in her chains. "Van would never leave us…he's not like that."

Allen nodded. "We have to wait…We need to wait for him. If it's the Draconian she wants, he will not back down from a fight. I know so…"

Their quiet chatter was abruptly silenced when a loud scream carried from the adjoining cell. Allen's head snapped in the direction of the scream. "CHID!" He shouted. Millerna screamed along with the other prisoner and Merle started to cry.

"Van…please come back…" She whispered. _Gaea needs you…We need an angel…_

* * *

Hitomi had finally drifted into a peaceful sleep. Whatever drugs she had been given were sure working in her favour right now. Although there was no dream, she was content in just letting her mind swim around in the darkness.

After all, the darkness had some soothing effects on her. It wrapped protectively around her in a comforting hug.

But, as always, in the darkness, there is light.

A pink light to be exact.  
**_The pendant  
_**_Huh? _Hitomi's mind tried to register what she saw, but the effects of the medicine did not allow for some coherent thoughts. Slowly, but surely, Hitomi got away from the darkness and towards the pendant.

She watched as it started to pulse. _My vision! _Forcing a clear image into her head, she remembered that muddled vision from before. _I know this part…_Hitomi quickened her pace. _I have to reach the pendant before it stops pulsing…But there's something else…  
__**Lub-Dub**_  
_**Lub-Dub  
**_Soon, Hitomi was standing right in front of the pendant. _Aren't I supposed to fall at this point? _She bent down and picked it up with her hand. It's steady heartbeat did not pick up or slow down…even though it was supposed to. _This isn't the same vision…There _is _something else…_

Putting one foot in front of the other, she walked forward slowly. _What am I looking for? Is Shina going to appear again? _Hitomi held the pendant out in front of her. _Which way? _

The pendant swirled around in the darkness and pointed to the left. She turned in a haze and walked in that direction. If it was even possible, the darkness that surrounded her seemed to get darker. _I must be going the right way…_

Once again, the darkness embraced Hitomi tightly.

Too tightly.

It was as if the darkness was squeezing her to death. _No! Stop it! _It was as if it didn't want her walking in this direction. When Hitomi took a step backwards, the feeling lightened. _What exactly doesn't it want me to see? _

Still holding onto her pendant in her hand, she put it in front of her. From her own light, Hitomi peered into the darkness to see…nothing.

She mentally groaned. _Impossible! I know something is there! _Hitomi squinted her eyes again. For the second time…

There was nothing there.

Her eyes continued to search for something, anything that would indicate a presence.

And finally, without warning…

A gray light shined in her path. _There! _

Fighting all resistance, Hitomi ran forward, clutching her pendant as she moved. The darkness was suffocating, but she trudged on. _I will not let it win this time…_As she ran, the darkness became more than just darkness. Hitomi noticed that it was slightly different…_What is it? What is this feeling I'm getting? _

Horrible screams of pain and agony filled her mind. _Such…Such suffering…_Green eyes darted back and forth as she ran to see where the voices were coming from.

But there was no one threre.

_Whoever I'm hearing, they're being tortured…_The screams and wails got louder and more persistent and Hitomi thought she heard the sounds of chains rattling. _Oh God, what am I hearing?_ Tears fell down her cheeks as the sounds were almost unbearable. _Are these the people who Shina had killed? The people from Atlantis?_

_The people from Gaea?_

She swallowed thickly and moved faster. _Oh God, please, she couldn't have won! _The gray light got closer and closer to her. She paused in her run and noticed that the gray light was being emitted from a similar black pendant on the floor. _That's Shina's! _

At her pause, the darkness started to get tighter. Hitomi had not felt the full effects of it when she had been running since she was in motion. Realizing that moving quickly is the best way to avoid compression, she took off towards Shina's pendant.

When she was close enough to pick it up, she understood what that presence was she felt when she was running. _Such dark powers…An evil aura…Shina…_Hitomi stood in front of it and this time, she no longer felt the affects of the darkness. She stared at it for the longest time, studying the gray light that swirled within the pendant.

Just coming near the gray pendant caused Hitomi's to beat erratically.  
**_Lub-Dub_**  
_**Lub-Dub  
**_It twirled and pointed in all directions. _What's happening? _Both pendants were acting strangely in the presence of one another. _Conflicting powers…_

Faster and faster.

Looking up from the dark pendant, she saw the blue eye again. "SHINA!" She called out as loud as she could. The figure did not turn around. The eye started to glow brighter as the black pendant did.

Faster and faster.

_This pendant fuels her powers…_The conclusion came to her quickly. Hitomi bent down to pick it up to rid Shina of whatever power she has. The screams got louder and louder until all Hitomi could hear was an increasing ringing in her ears.

But before she could touch it…

It stopped.

All the light in the vision disappeared, including the blue eye and all the sounds suddenly went mute. Hitomi felt the dizzy feeling come back and the floor beneath her feet crumble. _NO! _

She felt the winds pass by her as she fell without a scream. Hitomi knew that soon, she would wake up from this…She shut her eyes and did not bother to reach her hand out…All she had to do was wait for the bloody hands to reach out and pull her down…Just like that muddled vision had told her.

But this was a different vision.

This time, she only felt one pair of hands encircled her waist.

With a gasp at the different feeling, Hitomi opened her eyes abruptly and noticed white dots dancing in the darkness as they fell.

The total darkness was littered with millions of soft white feathers.

* * *

Van felt a pain in his heart. It must have been guilt because soon, it engulfed his entire body.  
**_You belong in Gaea_**

_Shina is hurting them…I know it…_As he sat and watched Hitomi, ideas started to pop in his head about his home.

They were not good ideas.

_Shina must be waiting for us to return…She must be…What has she done with her time? _Van looked at Hitomi's bed sheets with quiet contemplation. _Merle…Allen…Millerna and Celena…Chid too…Have they escaped her wrath? _

_Or are they suffering because of my absence? My cowardice?_

His heart clenched in his chest and he barely realized that Hitomi had awaken. "Hitomi!" Van's inner turmoil was interrupted by Yukari's friendly call.

"Hey…" Hitomi muttered weakly.

"Have a good sleep, honey?" Hitomi's mother smiled.

At this comment, green eyes locked on to maroon ones. "Yes."

Van took Hitomi's hand in his and rubbed her fingers. The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a sad smile. "Good. That's good." He muttered softly, hiding his eyes in his hair.  
**_You belong in Gaea_**  
"Hitomi, the doctor says you're going to be fine in a few days…" Amano continued. "All you need is plenty of rest and a few hours of rehabilitation…That was…uh…some nasty scratch you got there…"

_A few days? Will they last that long?_

Hitomi closed her eyes and smiled as wide as she could. "Sounds great. When?"

"As soon as you feel up to it." Yukari added.

Looking at Van again, Hitomi saw the pain he hid from her. "How does today sound?" Hitomi's mother almost started to cry at her daughter's determination and bravery. It had only been two days and already she wanted to move around. _She was always so active…_

"A—After all…I'm an important person…" She paused to take a deep breath in. "…I have things to do…people to see…places to go…"

At this comment, Van's eyes flickered with some hope.

And the pendant began to glow again. _Let's hope it's soon…

* * *

_

WOW. Sorry for the long update…Philosophy is killing me this semester…Too many written assignments…

Anyway, terribly sorry for the horrible filler chapter. I know, it sucked. But, I had to have some random transition chapter, right? Besides, how ELSE am I going to open up the idea of what exactly Shina IS doing?

Remember, that the time difference between these two places is whack. In the show, when Hitomi goes back to Earth after being on Gaea for like, a week, she's put back in time…when she first met Van…So, I'm trying to follow that…sort of…

Hope you enjoyed it…I'm sorry for the crapiness…

PLEASE REVIEW


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Disclaimer: **Two words…I wish.

**To all who reviewed: **THANKS A LOT! (sends love) I can't express my thanks is words! You guys are amazing! (sends chocolate) Anyway, sorry for the delay…got some writer's block again…I'm still unsure about the ending…Who wants it to be romantic? Angsty? Fluffy? Please! I need ideas!

**Chapter Twenty One**

Shina's eyes glowed pleasantly as she stared at the magnificent guymelf that would be the icing on the cake for her plan. _Nothing of an Atlantian deserves to be kept away…Besides, what better way to destroy a planet than with the machines they love?_

"Escaflowne…Legendary guymelf of one of the remaining Atlantians…How touching." She mumbled, as she took a step towards it. "So beautiful and yet, so harmful. Just like me." Shina's feet stumbled upon a small bump in the ground. She frowned at the obvious grave. A weird tingling feeling seeped into her. _Not even the dead will stand in my way…_

Her eyes narrowed and following three loud cracks, the white cross marking the grave of Folken Fanel fell to the ground in three pieces. Shina began to smile again as the rest of her journey towards the machine was uninterrupted. _Not even the dead will stand in my way…_

Standing in front of it, she paused to listen to the cackling fires, the screams for help, the sounds of swords and bodies clashing together… "Sweet, sweet music to my ears…" The state of Fanelia, and Gaea in general, was almost reduced to ruins. Tall buildings were nothing but rocks and the civilization that once flourished was gone. _What will they think of their angel now? _

Mumbling a simple incantation, the sorceress levitated and landed into the lap of the seated Escaflowne. Shina walked along its metal frame with some caution, as the surface was not smooth.

But she knew that everywhere she touched, she would make it very cold.  
**_Choke  
_**Finally in the position she wanted, Shina stared at the giant pink jewel where the machine's supposed heart was. _What makes the blood start to pump, Escaflowne? _She stared at it, expecting an answer, but the machine remained still, unlike the state of its surroundings. _They've been gone long enough…It's time they paid me a little visit. After all, I can't let them live in peace on the Mystic Moon…The Atlantian would live and there would be no fun in that…_

Carefully and delicately, Shina reached out to touch the heart of the mechanical beast. _When you attack the heart, nothing is left…and the body along with the mind is yours to mold…_At first, the pink jewel appeared solid and hard, but soon, her pendant and her eyes shown brightly and her hand slipped into the jewel. She used her previously burned hand to reach inside there; just in case any thing would happen, she would still have one good hand to use.

It felt like a thick syrup that her hand was swimming in. Shina tried to clutch at something, but she found nothing there. Growling out of frustration, she focused hard and tried to input some of her own magical and dark energy into Escaflowne. _If what Chid told me was true, Van should be receiving a heartfelt message…And Escaflowne should become my weapon of choice…_

Her hair flapped around as her power from the black pendant tried to fuse with the goodness of the machine. _You will be mine! _

She laughed manically as she watched the body of Escaflowne turn from white to an inky black.

* * *

Forced by Hitomi's mother, Van was lying down on three chairs that they had moved together to make a place where he could rest. "Please, I'm not tired…" He tried to argue.

"No! There will be no more of that foolishness. You need to rest!" She continued to persist. He wasn't exactly sure how long he had gone without sleeping, but apparently, it was a long time. _I'm used to it…I'm a king…Sometimes I have to work long into the night…Why can't she see that? Ah, forget it…_Van's eyes looked up at the smooth white ceiling and he sighed. _I might as well heed her cries…she won't stop bothering me if I don't do it now…_

He turned his head to face Hitomi's bed. She was sitting up and eating an all-liquid lunch with her friend with the red hair…It was mostly juice and some strange red mixture that looked like water, but wobbled and jiggled when you touched it. _What did they call that again? Gel…something? _Van studied them for a bit longer, trying to remember the name of the food she was eating, but could not come up with it.

Instead, he just watched her. _She's been getting better…It's only been about four days, and already she's mastered the ability to walk and move…Oh, Hitomi…_Van felt his heart beat a little faster at the thought of her success. _She's made so much progress…Her wound must be healing properly, thanks to all those tubes and things…_

Hitomi smiled at Van, noticing his staring. "Would you like anything to eat?" She held up that red mixture. "I know that it's not the best food…"

"No…that's okay…" Van smiled back, happy to hear the strength in Hitomi's voice and actions. "I already ate…Your mother brought me back some food from earlier." She looked at him strangely, trying to see if he was lying to her. Van almost laughed. _She knows that I haven't eaten much…_ "No! Hitomi, I mean it! Ask her when she comes back from the restroom."

"Fine. I will ask her!" Hitomi turned her head away in false anger.

"Alright then. Go ahead. I have nothing to hide."

"Fine!"

"Fine." Van's smile grew wider as he saw through Hitomi's acting. _I'm so glad you're acting like yourself again…_He hasn't seen her this happy since the day he had arrived on the Mystic Moon. Everything felt so natural…no worries…no stress…nothing seemed to faze her. He liked her best in this state. _Nothing in the world can stop her. Nothing at all…_

Of course, he knew that he was lying to himself.

_Shina's waiting for us…  
**You belong on Gaea  
**_…_and when we get there, I'll see what she's done to my home…I'll make sure she pays for it…_A growl almost escaped from his lips as his anger built up again. Van grit his teeth and calmed down. _A strong warrior is a patient one…Calm down…Anger is not the best tool to use when in battle…_He began to repeat the words that his teacher used to tell him every time they practiced.

And then, he remembered that he would never hear him speak such words of wisdom again.

_I have to have a plan…what is her weakness? _Van began to search for answers from what Hitomi had told him earlier about the visions. _Her power is destruction…her eyes? What makes her eyes glow so brightly? What is it that gives her power? _Although he was facing Hitomi's bed, he was no longer focused on her. He hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep.

Van tried to dig deeper in his memory for the moments before everything happened. He remembered that they had run into his combat-practice room and into Shina…he remembered seeing his teacher's face—or what was left of it…But he could not remember the exchange of words the three of them had…or anything else after that.

The most vivid memory he had was the one where he stood over Hitomi, poised to decapitate her.

_Stop it! _Van's heart lurched at the recollection of that moment. _S—Stop thinking about that part…She is better now, and that's all that matters…_

Even though his mind had calmed down, his heart still hurt. Breathing started to hurt too. _Gods, what's this? _Van looked down at his chest, trying to see what was causing his discomfort. The pendant, unknowingly to him, started to glow faintly around Hitomi's neck.

He slowly got up from his lying down position to find that the pain intensified. _Ah! _It felt as if his heart was being pulled out of place. His breathing picked up a few notches but it didn't do anything to sooth him. Van's sweaty hand reached over and clutched the hospital gown as he continued to pant in pain.

"Sir? Are you alright?" Yukari noticed the noise and looked on with concern. "Sir?"

Without warning, Van suddenly yelled as the burning ache surrounding his heart reached another level. The blood that went through his veins was hot, causing his temperature to rise dangerously and his blood vessels to pop out of his skin. His legs kicked the chairs that made his make-shift bed so that he could sit upright with his feet touching the ground. The chair bounced off the walls and landed nosily as Van tried to control himself.

"What's wrong?" Yukari rushed over to Van, knelling down beside him, watching his body convulse in obvious distress. "Where does it hurt?"

Shaking eyes went her way as Van tried to communicate with her where all the pain was coming from. His mouth would not form the words he wanted, so instead, he grit his teeth and clutched the gown tighter where his heart was.

"Your heart? Is it your heart!" Yukari asked frantically. Van answered with a quick nod and screamed in agony again. He doubled over, his head touching his knees, as his heart continued to feel as if it was being torn to shreds.

Yukari rushed back over to Hitomi's bedside and pressed the 'Nurse's Call' button attached to the bed. A calm voice came over the small intercom. "Yes?"

"Please! We need help! Hitomi's visitor's heart is hurting!" She yelled back at her.

The nurse on the other side heard all the background noise as well as Yukari's plea. "We'll be right over!"

* * *

The black void was around her again, thanks to the morphine-induced sleep. She knew better this time. Hitomi did not waste a second before running towards where the gray light was last time. _I am going to take it from her this time!_

Her pink pendant guided her, glowing to light up her way. Hitomi's feet were not touching solid ground, but she was moving. _Come on…Where are you—?_

She saw it.

Hitomi stumbled out of the darkness and ended up in a grassy field with trees. There, in front of her was Escaflowne…in the same position when she left Gaea the first time. Of course, there was something else.

Something—  
**_Shina  
_**—was standing in the lap of the guymelf. Gray light illuminated the scene and soon, Hitomi noticed that the body of Escaflowne was turning black.

_Oh God…_She remembered the last time it went black and how Van was affected. Escaflowne had turned black because of revenge and the darkness in Van's heart. It had become very dangerous then…_Van's in danger! Gaea is in danger! She does not want it to be pure! _Running closer, she saw that Shina's black hand was inside the pink jewel grasping at something. _It's heart…_

_Van's heart…_

As she neared the sorceress, the creature turned its head to face her.

The angry blue eye looked at her.

"Stop it!" She screamed. "STOP IT NOW!" Hitomi tried to reach out and grab her, but the scene got farther and farther away. _No! Van! _Soon, the darkness returned.

With its no longer comforting hug.

As she stared out, Hitomi dawned on the conclusion that she wished she didn't have to.

_She knows…_

The ground cracked underneath her feet, and she fell. She waited for the bloody hands to grab her, but instead, the angel wrapped his arms around your waist. Hitomi could feel him there; his breathing, his heartbeat…

But his pulse was too high…

Too irregular…

Hitomi looked up and saw the red feathers this time. _Shina knows…_

* * *

Yukari came back to Van's side and placed a hand on his back. "Can you stand up? The doctors are coming!"

Her comforting touch did not feel good on his suddenly hypersensitive skin. "AH!" He cried out. Van heart his own heartbeat in his ears; it was irregular, it was painful…_Oh G—Gods…_He felt his stomach twist and his intestines clench…The knuckles that gripped the edge of the chair turned white. His eyes closed shut as another wave of internal fire crashed into him. Van's nerves were shot, his mind was blank.

But he recognized this pain.

_E—Esca…f—flow…n—n—ne…_His brain established that whatever he was feeling now was what his guymelf was feeling too. _Shina…_

Hitomi awoke suddenly, startling Yukari. "VAN!" The pendant started to glow brighter, and all three of them noticed.

"Hitomi!" Yukari cried, "What's going on?" She was torn between helping her friend and the man in pain. Her red hair swished as her head turned back and forth.

Van slowly stood, still clutching his heart. "Hi…Hi…tomi…"

Yukari noticed that the both of them were trying to move towards one another. Her friend was twisting her way out of the bed and trying to move the steel barriers that surrounded her. Yukari made up her mind, rushed to Hitomi's bed, and moved the barriers so that she could get off the bed.

They met half-way and the pendant was shining so brightly, the pink light was white. Hitomi was frantic. "Van? Van, what's wrong? What is she doing to you?"

"Hitomi! Who's 'she'? What are you talking about?" Yukari tried to understand what was going on, but continued to be confused as Hitomi rambled on.

"I saw it! She's hurting you! She's hurting Escaflowne! Van! What are you feeling?" She almost screamed at him. "Oh God! Van, please, fight it!"

"Please! Hitomi! What is 'Escaflowne'?"

They were standing right in front of each other, Van still feeling the effects of Shina's hand on Escalfowne's heart. "M—Make…it s—st—top." He mumbled to her with the best of his ability.

The pendant started to pulse again. _His heartbeat…_

Faster and faster.

_There must be something I can do to stop her! _Hitomi looked down at her pendant with shaking eyes. _What can I do? _Her thoughts were interrupted as Van cried out in obvious pain. He grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it. "VAN! No! N—no! Please!"

Hitomi held onto him tightly as well, trying to think of something to help him. Yukari had rushed out of the room, yelling for a doctor. _They can't help him, Yukari! _

Faster and faster.

As they held on to one another Van loosing his grip on himself and reality and Hitomi focused all her energy into the pendant. She shut her eyes and forced her mind to replay the vision she just had. _Stop it Shina! You have no right to do this!_

_You have no right to know!_

The pendant's now white light levitated between the two bodies. Hitomi listened to the pulse of it and the pulse of Van. _Too erratic…Too irregular…_

Faster and faster.

Both of their breathing increased as Hitomi tried to put herself in the vision again. _I have to reach her! _She trembled when Van trembled and soon, she no longer heard anything. She could still feel Van there, but instead of the hospital, she was in the grassy field, watching Escaflowne become black.

The pendant swayed back and forth and a white-hot bubble of light encased the original pink gem.

Faster and faster.

Hitomi ran towards them, the pendant's light getting more intense. _Like Van's pain…I have to reach her! I need to stop this! _

She was standing in front of the machine now, watching them from a new perspective. Escaflowne was almost all black now. _If she keeps this up…_Her thoughts trailed on after that. She tried to climb up the guymelf's leg, but she couldn't. It was not the best climbing material and there was no place to put her feet. _No! NO! _

Tears fell. She was hopeless. _I can't …_  
**_You have no right to touch me  
_**Hitomi stepped back, wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. _No…I am not helpless…_ "SHINA!" She called out to her.

The creature turned at the sound of its name and smiled, its blue eyes glowing wickedly.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TOUCH HIM!" Hitomi screamed.

Faster and faster.

The white bubble that surrounded the pink pendant shot out and struck the heart of Escaflowne. Hitomi's emotions fueled its power and this time, she was not going to let up. _Nothing is going to faze me! _She had to shut her eyes as the colour of the light was too bright, but she heard a scream.

And she smiled.

Shina had fallen back from Escaflowne in a heap on the ground. The purifying light that scorned her hand before had done so again. As the goodness from the pendant entered Van's guymelf, the darkness washed away.

Faster and faster.

The scene disappeared as the white light from the pendant covered everything in her sight. When Hitomi opened her eyes again, she gasped; the trip she had done had taken much of her energy. Being back in reality was a shock to her system. It was too sudden. She looked at Van to see if any of it helped. _I stopped her…I pulled her dark hand away from Van's heart… _Hitomi panted in exhaustion and focused her eyes on him.

His face was still twisted in agony.

The pendant continued to repeat Van's pulse and Hitomi noticed that it was still speeding up. Slightly disoriented, it took some time before Hitomi registered what was happening around her. _Oh God…_

Faster and faster.

_No! NO! VAN!_

Then, it stopped.

Van felt the temperature in his body suddenly drop. The hot blood that once flowed in his veins became icy water.  
**_Cold  
_**With one, last struggled breath—his body frozen—he collapsed on the floor, bringing Hitomi with him.

"VAN!"

* * *

Shina watched with marvel as the black Escaflowne was almost created. _Yes, my machine…Show Gaea that this is your strong suit! _

The gray light from her pendant kept supplying the machine with dark energy but, suddenly, it stopped.

Shina felt her hand get very hot again. _What? What is this? _A white light shot out of the pink jewel of Escaflowne, pushing her away. _NO! _

She landed on the ground from the impact of the pure light. Her burned hand was even more disfigured now. Shina growled. _That witch…Even from the grave, she crosses me! _

Her blue eyes glowed angrily as the white light chased away the darkness that she had infused in the machine. Shina stood quickly and brushed off her dress. _When they return…I will make sure that she pays for that…and I will make sure that he watches it._

* * *

Night had fallen and Van currently resided in the hospital bed next to Hitomi's in the room. The doctors were unsure of what happened, but kept him hooked up to the machines overnight for observation. He hadn't woken up since he collapsed, but the doctor's concluded that the stress on his body made him fatigued and tired.

Visiting hours were long over and the lights had gone out in their room. The only sound was the rhythmic beeps and groans from the machines that watched their vitals. Hitomi lay awake on her bed, staring at the dark ceiling with her mind muddling with the events that took place that day.

_Shina knows how to work Escaflowne…If she can make it dark…W—We have to stop her…I did it today, but I can't keep stressing the pendant like that…That took most its power—to travel to another world and fight her—so another battle like that will have an outcome that I won't like…_

She turned her body to face the sleeping Van. He still looked peaceful—like on the day he first arrived—even with all the wires and tubes running from his body to the machines and back.

Even with all the problems they still had to face.

"Van?" Hitomi whispered to her bed-ridden king. She tried to wake him with a louder voice, but he kept sleeping. _What are we going to do? _

The answer came to her quickly; they couldn't keep running. They had to face it. The creature had to be stopped before his entire planet was destroyed. There was no doubt in Hitomi's mind that Shina would not just end it there. She would probably follow them to Earth and would not rest until the last Atlantian—her angel—was destroyed.

_We have to go back…_

* * *

Okay, wow. I had to rewrite this chapter twice. Blah. Blame my writer's block. The first time I wrote it, I had Van actually die. But then I changed it up.

Anyway, this was a MAJOR filler. Like, oh goodness, what a filler chapter. The final showdown is coming up!

AND, big news, IT'S MARCH BREAK! Since I have no homework, I'll be updating:D

PLEASE REVIEW!


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, okay. The day I own anything is the day I actually get to go to Gaea…

**To all who reviewed: **(sniff) I LOVE YOU ALL! (hugs) I'm so happy you all liked my filler chapter…:D haha. Seriously though, thanks a lot for all your positive advice! It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! (poke!)

**Chapter Twenty Two**

As Van laid there in sleep, his body was healing itself since the attack. Although his body was motionless, his mind was on overdrive. He remembered the stress on his heart and the pain he felt, but he could not understand how it stopped.

_What was Shina doing to Escaflowne? _His mind could not stay silent in a subconscious state as Van tried to figure out what happened moments before. _It hurt so much…then it stopped…Hitomi was there and she…What did she do? How did she stop her? What is Shina doing on Gaea?……Does she know how Escaflowne works?_

He was thankful that his mind did not have a definite answer to that. _I have to go back to make sure she doesn't pull another stunt like that…that she does not totally figure it out…_

The darkness under his closed eyelids shifted comfortably around him. He was not dreaming of anything for he was already partially awake. When he saw a blue light appear at random, Van's thoughts changed from the events of his pain to the light. _What is that?_ He pushed his body into a deeper sleep to find out._ Oh Gods! _He recognized it instantly. _It's her eye! Don't look at—! _

But it was too late.

The blue eye got closer and closer to him. He saw the features on the creature's face, which were twisted in a dark smile. Something gray appeared underneath the eye, but before Van opened his mouth to question it, the eye anticipated this move and whispered, "We'll talk later…"  
**_You have no right to know  
_**Van's eyes opened suddenly and he did not blink for some time after that. He moved his gaze around the room to make sure that _she _wasn't there; the room was dark and Hitomi was asleep next to him.

_Where…am I? _He sat up in bed a bit disoriented and looked around. Van realized that he was still in the hospital. Except he was in a hospital bed next to a sleeping Hitomi…It was just him and her. No doctors, no mother…just them. _It's okay…She isn't here…yet…_

With his head in Hitomi's direction, something else caught his eye on that side. Screens with flashing green lights and numbers were stuck to the wall or on poles. _What are these things? _When Van's breathing picked up, he noticed that the screen changed its numbers accordingly. _Oh Gods…how does it know that? _Turning his head the other way, there was a bag filled with something clear attached to a long shiny pole with a dark blue box underneath it. Maroon eyes followed the path of the tube that came out of it and noticed it was attached to the side of his wrist.

On closer inspection of his wrist, he saw—in the poor light—that his hand was connected to a soft board with white strips. _What are they doing to me? _He shifted himself on the bed so that he sat perfectly upright. Van felt fine; he knew that he was going to be fine…When this happened last time, it had only taken a few hours after repairing Escaflowne for him to get up and move. He _knew_ that everything was okay and that there was no need for any of these things.

These boxes might have known his breathing rate, but they didn't know everything. He knew though. _I'm fine. I don't need any of this! I want them off! _

Van's lack of knowledge of what these things did brought more fear into him. He brought his arm up closer to his face where he could see it. In an instant, he began to rip the white strips that joined his hand to the white board right off. There was a slight stinging when he did so, but he simply pursed his lips together and continued. _You've felt more pain than that…_

For a few minutes after that, the only sound in the room came from the ripping noise of the white medical tape leaving Van's skin. _Stupid adhesive…_He grumbled as he finally pulled the last strip off his hand with a loud exhale afterwards. Dropping the board that his hand used to rest on, Van focused next on how to get the tubes out of his wrist. _I don't need any of this…I need to get out of here…  
**Leave**_

He stared at the little device that kept a steady flow of IV fluid to enter his system. Quickly taking off more of the tape that surrounded the needle, Van placed two of his fingers on either side of it. _One…Two…_ He pulled it out quickly and exhaled loudly. He watched the wound release a thin red line. _I tore skin…Great…_On reflex, he put his tiny wound in his mouth and kept it there.

Looking back at the machines, Van noticed that the one in which the bag was attached to exchanged its green light for a red one. A beeping noise came soon after. _Oh…what did I do? _Van checked the box frantically. _If someone walks in…they're going to make me stay…Stop! Come on, stop making that noise! _

Checking the device that he took out of his wrist, he saw that it was leaking. He knew that in order to make the beeping stop, he had to put the device back in his wrist. _I have to leave…I don't have time for this…  
**You belong on Gaea  
**I can't wait anymore…Shina is figuring things out. I need to prevent that…_ Forgetting about the machine, Van began to pull, rip and throw off anything else the hospital had attached to him. As a result, more of the machines made noises. _I have to hurry… I have to go back…_

It was still dark outside, but he used the weak street lights to look around. _I have to leave before the sun rises…Before any one can see me leave…_Van jumped out of the bed and walked as fast as he could to Hitomi's side. His ankle still hurt, but it was manageable. "Hitomi…?" _We have to go back…We have to leave and fight her, once and for all…No more running…_

She did not respond to him. "Hitomi…" He pushed her shoulder a bit. "Wake up! Hitomi!" Green eyes opened slowly. "…V—Van?" Still in a dream like state, Hitomi did not see the urgency in his face.

"Come on, we have to go!" Van continued to rock her shoulder back and forth.

It seemed that no matter how hard he tried to wake her, the drugs in her system made her fall back to sleep. "No! Come on! Hitomi!" The beeping noises from his machines were still persistent. Looking away from Hitomi's sleeping form, Van glanced at the door. _Someone's going to come in here soon…We have to go! Now! _

Returning his eyes to her body, he paused. He noticed all the machines and everything that was attached to her.His thoughts changed. _……We can't go…Hitomi still needs care…because of what I did to her…_Van slowly retracted his hands away from her shoulders. Something told him that if he touched her again, she would crumble away into dust. _These machines…they may not be of use to me, but to her…_

_She still needs attention…But how long will that take? The men in white said that she should not stress herself for a number of months…and with what we are dealing with will definitely be too much stress on her body…But, months? We don't have that kind of time anymore. I can't wait…They can't wait…We can't wait anymore. Shina knows now and it will not be long until she tries to get to me through Escaflowne again…_

He stood in front of her with a sad look on his face. _Hitomi…I hope you understand…You will not be able enough…We don't have time…I—I'm sorry. This is my way of keeping my promise; I said that I would protect you. If Shina is looking for me, I do not want you to get hurt because you are with me…The first time was too close, and I don't want the next time to be the last. _

_I said that I would stay with you and fight with you…but, I can't. If I wait for you, Gaea will be destroyed…If you come with me now, you wouldn't be able to fight without hurting yourself…No doubt that Shina will use that to her advantage…I know that you are strong and I know that you've been through tougher things, but I don't want you to get hurt over something that I could have prevented! I can't live with that! If something else were to happen…_

…_I'm—I'm sorry, Hitomi…_Van leaned in and kissed her forehead lightly before reaching around her neck and unclasping the pendant's chain. He wanted, so badly, to wrap his arms around her and stay with her until she got better.

But he couldn't. He couldn't afford to risk that.

Standing upright again, he clutched the pink gem in his palm. _If you aren't there, she won't be looking for you…she'll have to deal with me. No tricks. I will fight her, I will win…and I will make my way back to you…I love you Hitomi…Please understand…_

He backed away from her bedside feeling a deep pang of regret in his heart. _You're safer if you stay here, Hitomi…Your life is in good hands here; not in mine…I'm sorry… _With one last look at her peaceful sleeping body, Van left the hospital room with a quick stride.  
**_You belong on Gaea  
_**He walked past many workers who paid no attention to him and by the time someone had ended up finding his beeping machines, Van had left the Emergency area and was running.  
**_Leave

* * *

_**

Shina sighed as she watched her favourite three prisoners. "Well, how much hope do you three have left?"

"Bite me." Merle glared, even through her fatigue. It had been quite some time since they had gotten food.

"Such vigor," She smiled, "for someone who doesn't have much time left…"

"Go to hell!"

"Oh, Merle…" Shina chided. "Give it up. Your precious Van is a coward and is never coming back to save you."

"You don't know Van! You don't know him!" The feline screamed, in her loudest voice, trying to convince herself. _He IS coming back…I know he will! He will! He has too!_

Shina walked up to the bars of Merle's cell and knelt down so that she was eye level with her. _Oh, pity, she's crying…_ "Pathetic."

"Let us go…We are of no use to you…" Millerna mumbled quietly.

"Sweet princess, you are of great use to me." The creature smirked. "What I want is the angel…and you three are going to bring him to me. I will show him, through your example, what a bad boy he's been…He will come back, but only to die." She paused between the words 'only' and 'to die' to emphasize it.

Giving one last piercing look at Merle, Shina stood up. "Tell me. How much hope do you have, now that you know the likelihood of my idea?"

Silence followed.

"Hmph. Just as I thought."

The door to their cells banged shut and the lock was inserted quickly afterwards. Merle looked up to the door and let her anger boil. "I have plenty of hope. I have enough for everyone. Van is coming back. He told me that he always keeps his promises; to protect his home, his people…He will not back down. Not now, not ever…"

* * *

He looked up at the slightly lightening sky. _Morning is coming…_The stars were starting to vanish and the cool night winds were dying down. Van's heart pumped fast from all his running and he was trying to get it under control. Deeply breathing in and out, he paused for a few moments. His ankel was hurting again, but hepaid no attention to it._I hope I'm not too late…_

Van looked down at the pendant and sighed. He channeled his wish to it and focused. _I need to go back…to Gaea. _Closing his eyes afterwards, he did not notice that one of the stars in the sky suddenly got very bright and big. The white column that would take him home surrounded him thanks to the shining pink light.

A warm breeze blew his hair around as he was lifted upwards. _I'm sorry Hitomi…_He kept his eyes closed for the entire time, after to open them and have himself fall. _…that I couldn't wait for you…They need me now, before Shina figures any more things out…_ The pendant continued to glow, but he could not see the strength it still possessed. He felt his body get lighter and lighter and soon, the breeze around him picked up as he was thrust in the alternate dimension of Gaea.

Just as strangely the man had come, he had left, leaving passengers in cars in awe. In a flash, the column of light had disappeared, leaving nothing.

Except one woman who finally awoke in her hospital bed. "V—Van?"

* * *

As Van touched the earth of his home, he finally opened his eyes. Quickly clasping the pendant around his neck, he looked around with the column of light obstructing his view. He recognized the fields that he had landed in. They were the same ones that Hitomi and he had landed in the first time they returned. A small smile touched his lips at the recollection of that time, but it was quickly lost as the pillar of light dissipated into tiny sparkles of stars.

All around him was destruction and chaos. _No…_The tall grass that had sheltered Hitomi and him from the farmers that night was burnt. There were raging fires turning the most beautiful structures and simple homes to ashes. Van's head turned back and forth between the east and the west to see no one on the streets…no one. Nothing.

Turning his body around to face his land, he noticed that nothing was spared. Everything that he remembered was no longer there. The marketplace, the temple, the fields of recreation…all gone. Everything that he had worked hard to rebuild was…nothing.

Except for one patch of forest, which stood out so much against the red and black.

Where Escaflowne lay.

Releasing a shaky breath, Van put all his emotions into fueling his adrenaline. _Shina……If it is the angel you want. I'm coming. _Once the initial shock had worn off, he sped off in the direction of the castle. He didn't know how he knew she would be there, but it was a lucky guess.

And today was his lucky day.

He took caution where the rocky slope went down steep, but kept pushing it. Van stumbled and slid down an eighth of the way on his back, however, he managed to land on his two feet. _You have to move…now! _Gritting his teeth, he walked forward towards the place he called home.

_Rest assured, Shina. Your loving husband is coming. _He thought as he ran through the deserted trails. The smell of burning flesh, wood, fabric and animals was overpowering and it surrounded him. It was everywhere. Bodies were strewn along the road; eyes open in a desperate plea for help. _Don't look…_

Van covered his face with his hand in an attempt to filter out the foul smelling air. _What has she done? What have I let her do? _He jumped over fallen carts and wagons and took sharp turns through dark alleyways to get to the shortcut he knew that would take him back to his palace. _I'm the only one who can fight…The only one she wants…I can't let anyone else get hurt because of what I am…_

Kicking up dirt and sand that lay on top of the stone walkways, Van turned another corner and skidded to a halt. His lungs were burning and his muscles ached. _Deep breaths…In…out…Deep…_Although the air around him was not pleasant, he forced himself to take it in.

And all the suffering that came with it.

_You—You need to find a weapon…_ He leaned his body against the wall and sighed. _You can't fight a supernatural being with your hands…_Looking up and around him, the alleyway was empty. _Great…_Just as he started to trudge forward, he heard something behind him. Moving his head in the direction of the sound, he saw two black figures.

With swords.

As he looked forward again, he saw another black figure walking towards him, blocking off his escape route. He stopped midway between the three Yoshidarian guards and turned his body sideways so he could see them without having to turn his head. Keeping his breathing even and his eyes darting back and forth, Van took on a crouch position for a defensive stance.

_One…_

The men took a step towards him, hands on the handles of their swords. The two that were behind him were a bit closer than the one in front of him.

_Two…_

At once, all three swords were pulled out of their sheaths and that slicing sound echoed in the alleyway. It was subdued from the cackling fires, but loud enough for Van to hear.

…_Three!_

Just as Van predicted, the three men ran forward; two from behind, one from in front. Taking the logical step, Van turned his attention to the two coming from behind him, running fast to meet them. Two stab wounds in the back was worse than only one. Besides, the man in front of him had more distance to cover.

Van step-sided to the left to avoid being cut but lashed out with his left foot and struck one man in the face. As he stumbled back, the second man held his sword straight out to push it through Van's skull in an easy kill. Van ducked just in time to only get a gash on the top of his head; the soldier's momentum made his sword get stuck in the wall.

Although the blood was falling over his eye, Van made his left hand stiff and straight and brought it down on the inside of the man's elbow. As a reflex, the man's grip on the sword was gone as his entire arm bent upwards. Positioning his body correctly, Van turned slightly and thrust his elbow into the man's face.

Pulling the sword out of the wall, Van moved to meet with the one man who hadn't been touched yet; the one who came to him from the front. He was close to the scene and had his sword out, ready to strike.

But this time, Van had a sword of his own.

Metal clashed as Van blocked the man's attack by holding his sword horizontally. Hearing the man who he kicked come back, Van dropped his weight so that he was close to the ground. Letting the man push him down with his strength, Van ended up on his back in the sand. Smirking at that man, Van brought his knees towards his chest and put each foot under the soldier's ribcage. Pushing up and backwards with his legs and arms, he successfully sent the man flying overhead in the direction of his fellow soldier.

They landed with a groan and a thud as Van got up quickly, breathing hard. In their hesitation, he raced forward, sword held straight out in the direction of their bodies. With quick steps, Van pushed the sword through one of the soldier's necks and into the other soldier's side. Since they were on top of one another, they both felt the effects of Van's sword. Knowing that the first man was dead, Van pulled out the sword, stepped over him and delivered a final blow to the second man by the same move. Hitting a main vein, blood sprayed on him.

The last man, dealing with a broken nose, stood there, watching. In a blink of an eye, two of his fellow comrades were gone. He watched as the fugitive stood over their bodies, chest rising and falling quickly with blood all over his front. The third soldier had no weapon to protect himself, so he took a low crouch position—mimicking Van's move from the beginning.

Van looked at the last man sadly. "Run. I do not wish to fight."

The man kept his position.

"I do not wish to fight." He repeated; but the man made no move to accept his offer. Waiting for some time after that, Van threw down his sword in the red ground beside him. "If you wish to fight, I will do so, evenly matched."

The last soldier frowned and walked forward slightly, still keeping his crouch. Van, on the other hand, walked upright, meeting the man halfway. In a sudden attack, the Yoshidarian soldier turned his body on the balls of his feet, shifted his weight to the right side, and struck Van's chin with his left foot.

His head snapped left and he almost lost his balance. Regaining whatever was left of his orientation, Van dodged another blow with the man's right fist. It would of connected with his left ribs, but he ducked lower; he was on all fours in the dirt. Pulling his left leg out, Van made his boot flat and connected it with one of the man's shins. At such close range, Van thought he heard something snap.

The man did not flinch and stepped back. Van stood upright again, but soon opted for another defensive position. He put his fists and his arms in front of his torso for protection. Van's eye was becoming irritated with the stream of red, but he did not have the time to wipe it away. The man tightened his frown and moved to attack with a kick from his right leg.

Seeing that the move would worsen the bruises on his abdomen, Van's reflexes acted fast and caught the man's foot. Twisting it quickly and sharply, both of them heard the 'pop' sound; the solider let out a small grimace of pain.

With the foot in his hand, Van pushed the man with the strength in his arms in a backwards direction, making him stumble as his balance on one foot was not good. The man landed awkwardly on his other foot but tried to get up. Van walked over to him, feeling the effects of his bruised and possibly broken jaw. He had pain coming from both sides now, and his ankle was starting to hurt again. It was protesting against all the movement he did, but Van did not listen.

With a small limp, he made it to the man's side. He saw the damage he had done to him. _A dislocated ankle like that is not going to get him far…_Van noted. He squatted down so that he was almost eye level with him. The man froze. Removing his helmet from his opponent, Van stared at him. His nose was bleeding and badly broken from his elbow, but nothing else.

"You should take the opportunities that are given to you." Falling silent and no longer looking at him, Van grabbed the sides of the man's head with his hand and slammed it down on the ground where the sand did not cover the stone; it was not hard enough to kill him, but hard enough to render him unconscious.

Van stood slowly and shakily. Turning his gaze in the direction of what used to be his castle, he frowned. Ignoring the pain and finally wiping his eye, he pulled the sword out of the ground where he left it.

Picking up the pace of his walk, Van remained silent. Around his neck, the pendant pulsed silently as it bounced up and down fron Van's running. The sounds of the fires became louder again now that that alleyway was quiet. _…Is that the best you've got?

* * *

_

TA-DA! How do you like them apples?

Hurray for my first lengthy fight scene! Thanks to Tekken (and stories ABOUT Tekken) and other wholesome video games like that, I thought I did pretty good!

I hope that the whole reason behind Van leaving first was clear! Ack!

Hope you guys liked it! The final showdown is coming up! Watch out Shina!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**Disclaimer: **I'm not even going to bother this time…

**To all who reviewed: **OMG Thanks! You guys obviously know that reviews feed the author's soul…Not Chicken Soup:D Oh, I'm such an attention whore…(ha ha) Anyway, glad you like the fight scene where Van kicked some major ass. Finally! Some action!

**Chapter Twenty Three**

_Shina, I'm home…_Van frowned at his castle. Although it was not diminished to rubble yet, it no longer held the beauty it once did. _Evil lives here now…_

He knew that going through the front door would be stupid; she obviously kept most of her guards there to keep people out. Instead, he went around to the right side, where he and Merle once made a 'secret exit' when they were kids. _Hopefully, I'll still fit…_

Van walked as quietly as possible to where his entrance would be. _She will never know my home like I do…I'll surprise her and do away with her quickly. Shina will not know what hit her…_He clutched the handle of his stolen sword tightly. The handle itself was uncomfortable to hold; it had sharp curls of metal at the end and where the blade met the handle. The metal used had not been smoothed down, so it was painful but it could be used as another weapon.

As the thoughts of just exactly he would do to Shina with one of her own swords came into his head, Van did not realize that the pendant's pink light started to darken.

To a pinkish-gray.

* * *

"Ms. Kanzaki! Please! Calm down!" The nurses and other aides kept telling her that, repeating it like it was a broken record.

"Calm down? I can't calm down! Where is he? Where is Van?" Hitomi cried frantically. When she fell asleep last night, he was there…but when she woke up, he was gone.  
**_Stay with me tonight  
_**_Van! Please! _The moment she woke up fully from the morphine induced sleep, she knew that her pendant was missing.

And that only meant one thing.

He went back.  
**_You belong on Gaea  
_**Without her.

"I have to go! Let me go! I have to get out of here!" She continued to thrash in her bed, trying to get out of it and run. _I have to be on Gaea with him! He can't fight her alone!_

"Ms. Kanzaki! You mustn't strain yourself! It is not worth it!"

"No! You don't understand!" Green eyes pleaded with the eyes of the head doctor. "I. Have. To. Go." Hitomi said each word slowly so that they could understand her. "He can't do it alone!" She stopped moving around and waited for their response.

"Please, as your doctor, I strongly advise that you stay here under our care. You are not able enough."

"HE isn't able enough, Dr. Hedden! I have to go with him!" Hitomi struggled to find a way to explain herself without telling him about Gaea. _He would think I was crazy _and _injured! _

Dr. Hedden looked at her compassionately. "Who? Who else isn't able enough?"

Quietly, she answered, "Van, sir. Van Fanel. My roommate."

"Ms. Kanzaki, we have a search team designed to look for patients who leave the—"

"—You won't find him here."

"Then where?" He blinked. "Where is he?"

Hitomi looked at him sadly. "He's in a place far, far away…" _And he will not be coming back…Oh Van…Please, keep in control of the situation…_

But something deep in her heart told her otherwise.

The pendant was no longer with her but she could feel it. Usually, it was light, full of purity and goodness and it always wrapped around her like a soothing blanket. Up until now, she felt it getting heavier in weight and less comforting. _His vengeance…is it creating a twin to Shina's pendant? _

As the nurses and doctors lay her back down on the bed and tucked her in, Hitomi continued to think. _If Shina is a destroyer, that must be why her pendant—that she stole from an Atlantian—turned black. The evil and anger in her soul beat out the goodness that the pendant originally stood for. There was too much of it… _

The hospital workers, relieved that Hitomi had calmed down, started to shuffle out of the room, only leaving one nurse to check Hitomi's machines. _Shina's pendant…It must be what gives her these possessive powers…She may have ruined another world before Atlantis, but she did not have the powers she has now; mind control…superhuman strength…and the ability to enter visions and be real. Shina must have been strong before hand, but this black pendant gives her more or enhances what she already has…_

"Ms. Kanzaki?" The last nurse broke her thoughts. "Are you going to take it easy from now on?"

Hitomi looked at the woman but turned away quickly, returning to her previous train of thought. Bringing her hands into her lap, she began to fidget with her fingers. _If we take away the powers that her pendant bestows upon her, we may be able to stop her…She won't be as powerful…more manageable…_

"Ms. Kanzaki?" She called again, concerned.

_Van…I had so much to tell you… _"Yes, I will." Hitomi responded quietly, lying through her teeth. _I have to make it back there…To warn him…to tell him what to do…

* * *

_

Brushing the dirt and sand out of his pants and the hospital gown, Van stood upright and looked around. Everything was more or less the way he left it during the surprise attack. There were still some bodies laying around, but he pressed on. Some support beams were cut in half or splintering and all the carvings that were once there were totally cleaned off. For some reason, it looked darker, even though most of the windows were smashed open and were letting in constant streams of light.

A few fires were still smoldering, but they were not as devastating as they once were. Black smoke was still rising from the ashes and it was suffocating. Tears stung his eyes and Van refused to cough. _I have to stay quiet! _

The wooden floors creaked under his weight and Van silently cursed. He was trying to be as quiet as possible…_So much for a surprise attack…_Shifting his weight on either foot, he walked forward, praying that he would not be detected.

But, even if he was, he had his sword.

And even if he failed, the soldiers would bring him to her. _That is, of course, if they don't kill me for her…_He sighed at his logic. _I'm pretty sure she would want to finish me off herself…She would have more guards patrolling these hallways. _There was no one in the hallway he was in…_If she wants me dead, she would have more people here…_

Moving slowly and trying to keep the weight off his sprained ankle, Van kept close to the wall. He was arriving at the entrance of another hallway; it made a 'T' shape and he was at the disadvantage. He would be seen easily by anyone coming down the hallway facing him, and possibly even in the other direction if he stuck out too far. Gripping the awkward handle again, Van's breathing picked up. _One…Two…_He got as close to the edge as possible and looked both ways quickly to find that…

…no one was there.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he moved left. Maroon eyes scanned in all directions, but no one was hiding anywhere. _Strange…Where is she? The more guards I find, the closer I will be to her…Obviously, she is nowhere near this place at all…Come on, where are you?_

His free hand reached for the pendant around his neck and held it in front of him. _Where is she? _The pinkish-gray pendant glowed and swiveled around to point in the direction straight ahead…and up.

_She's upstairs…_Van's eyebrows knit together in a frown as he looked for the first flight of stairs. As he turned more corners, he finally made it. He knew that as soon as he entered the correct hallway, the stairs would be right there.

But he wasn't stupid.

Staying close to the wall on the adjacent hallway, Van peered in cautiously. Just as he thought, there was a guard standing there, in front of the doors. _Hmm…I am getting closer…But how can I get really close? I have to get that guy out of there…_

Remembering an old trick, Van turned around and spotted a medium-sized rock. _This'll do it…_Coming back to his previous position with the rock in hand, he tossed it to the ground, making sure that it echoed enough to distract the one guard there. He heard the man shuffle but nothing more. _Come on…_

He figured that the Yoshidarian man wasn't as stupid as he thought he was. _I'll have to be the bait, I guess…_Van quickly ran to the other side of the entrance frame and was happy to hear the solider move towards him. "Halt! Who goes there?"

As the man turned the corner where Van was hiding, the former King of Fanelia used the butt of the sword to knock the wind out of the soldier. A whoosh sound escaped the soldier's lips before Van landed a hefty punch to the man's face, making him fall to the ground.

Before he could get up or call for reinforcements against the intruder, Van squatted down to his level and held the tip of the blade near his throat. The other man's breath hitched in his throat as the intruder glared at him. "Tell me where your Princess is…and I swear, my face will not be the last thing you'll see."

The man stared at Van, lips sealed. Van's face twisted in anger. "Tell me!" He shouted at the man.

The pendant turned darker.

The solider did not say a word. "You leave me no choice…" Van dragged the tip of the blade across the soldier's neck quickly. _If they have nothing good to say, they are of no use to me…I'll find her on my own…_His heart pumped madly in his chest, fuelling his anger and adrenaline once again.

With his fists clenched and his jaw locked, Van made it up the spiral staircase on the lookout for other soldiers that would get in his way. Pausing mid way between floors, he looked at the pendant again, he proposed his question in thought. _Where is she? Find her pendant to find her…_

The pendant pointed straight up. _She's higher up… _Taking the stairs two at a time, he raced up, making sure that the pendant did not suddenly point to the floor that she was on. When he stumbled and hit his knee on the step, he cursed loudly at the sudden pain and disruption of movement. Closing his mouth quickly afterwards, Van waited for soldiers to find him. _They must have heard that…_

But the longer he waited, the more time he spent there alone.

Van's breathing got louder again. _Why isn't anyone coming? _At his pause, his thoughts moved to his next step. _Where to? _The pendant changed its direction and pointed to the door the next flight up.

_Why is she up there? There isn't anything on that floor…Everything that relates to me or anything Atlantian for that matter in on the first or second floor… _Regardless of his thoughts, Van continued upwards, keeping himself low on the steps in case any one was waiting for him on the other side. Tightening his grip on his sword, he moved cautiously to where the pendant told him to go.

From his viewpoint of the entrance of the floor where Shina supposedly was, he saw no shadows or anything. Van frowned in disbelief. _Impossible…this woman—this thing—can't be this stupid…_

Another thought popped into his head. _…Unless she _wants _me to get to her…B—But it can't be this easy…_Quickly going up the rest of the stairs, Van walked to the entrance way and looked left and right to confirm his earlier findings. _It's totally empty…_Still, he clutched his sword and held it out in front of him.

_This floor is used for storage…Why is she up here? _This floor seemed to be spared from all the destruction that he saw on the first floor. Turning the corner quietly, Van realized that it was only his breathing that was echoing off the walls. _What is she doing? _Pausing, he stopped and listened. He closed his eyes and waited for any indication of life on this floor. _Am I too late?_

Van's head snapped to attention when he heard the sound of something rattling and banging. _Someone _is _up here! _He walked forward toward the sound, back against the wall. The pendant pointed in the direction he was going, furthering his ideas that someone is indeed coming near him.

There were no fires in this area, so whatever light that came in through the windows was the only light source. Mostly everything was dark in this hallway and with only one good eye to see with, —since the other still had blood flowing over it—it made walking down difficult.

The darkness Van was experiencing was not comforting at all. _She's hiding from me…_His pupils adjusted to the darkness and finally, he came upon a door. However, he also dimly noted that two men stood in front of this door.

"Halt! Who goes there?" One man shouted to him before he could take refuge. Van heard feet being dragged on the floor as the two of them walked over to him.

"Speak!"

He gripped his sword, ready for another fight. "Attack!" The other man shouted. Van heard their running pace, but still could not see anything. Before he knew it, he felt the soldier's sword just nick his arm. _They can't see me either…_

Dodging blades to where he thought they would come, the blind battle continued for a little while. The Yoshidarian soldiers were shouting at him to threaten him, but they could not land any fatal blows. Other than one fist connecting smoothly on his face and another cut—this time on his arm, the soldiers were not accurate enough.

Van was not having much luck either; fighting in the dark was not his strong suit. He felt that he was being backed into a wall, but he tried to swing his legs out in hopes of tripping them. With no success yet, the sounds of whipping blades and limbs echoed with neither party landing much.

In the absence of direct hits, Van's mind started to wander off into logic. _Wait…The pendant let me see through the Invisibility Cloaks of the Dragonslayers…I can use it here! _

Picturing it in his mind, the pendant pointed to where the men stood: one straight in front and the other to his right. But, as he decided to take on the offensive by swinging his sword around in their general direction, he heard the men cry out and fall, landing with a sick thud. _What? _

The pendant, whose light only let Van see short distances, glowed only a bit stronger than before to allow him to see what happened. The two men who were battling with him in the dark were in a tangled heap on the floor; both unresponsive. He squatted down to look at them more closely but found nothing—no wounds, no weapons, no blood—to explain their sudden collapse. _But, I didn't do anything…_

His heart pumped a bit louder. Wiping the blood and sweat out of his face, he continued slowly towards the door that concealed the only sounds. Van still looked back to make sure that no one else was hiding and when he finally met up with the door, Van put his ear to it. There was definitely someone in there; the pendant was pointing in all directions now.

_Shina's in there…My pendant has found her pendant…Conflicting powers…_Unlocking the door easily, he pushed it open. This room's only window was slightly cracked, but it faced the east so the setting sun and rising moon would offer no light. There were a few wooden crates and most of the food and seeds had been pushed to one side to make room for something else. The room used to store grain and wheat had an entirely different purpose now.

It made his heart stop.

To the right, bars had been erected to make a prison cell and in them were Merle, Allen and Millerna. Their hands were bound in thick chains that hung above their heads, their bodies slung forward, and their clothes tattered. It looked like they hadn't eaten in days. Their clothes hung too awkwardly on their slimming forms. Their heads dangled near their chests and their breathing was slow.

They sort of just hung there…each of which were sleeping peacefully.

Too peacefully.

Van's eyes could not stay on that image for long as someone else, standing a few meters in front of the door caught his attention. Something with bright blue eyes, white hair and a dress that never seemed to get dirty.

"Oh, my King…Did you really think I was going to let you die at the hands of my men? I prefer to do my business hands on…"

* * *

"Mama, do you understand now? Do you get why I have to go?" Hitomi whispered, head bowed. As she waited for her mother to arrive for visiting hours, she had tried three more times to get out of the hospital. After the third failed attempt, she forced herself awake to think of a plan. All of which needed the pendant back in her hands in order to work.

Before any progress could be made, Hitomi's mother had come and had heard the news of her daughter's close breakaways. Demanding an explanation, Hitomi had finally decided to tell her. Her doctor would not believe her, but her mother would. She knew about the strange trinket from before and she needed to learn the whole story…

…to possibly help her get out of this place.

Hitomi's mother stayed silent, deep in her own thoughts. "Well? Mama! Please, say something!"

She was thinking over all the things that Hitomi had just told her and trying to make sense of it all. _That man…who was here…He _is _from that place…Gaea; the other dimensional earth. Where different things are from: machines and creatures…and angels…Angels that were bestowed with very special gifts of wishing magic—held in those pendants. _

_Being a descendant of those angels, that man, Van, was being hunted down by an evil creature…A creature that made him do very horrible things because it didn't like his predecessors. She's out to destroy his world…and Hitomi needs to get there to tell him something…She does not want to see his world become destroyed…_

_But, she can't get there without the trinket that my grandmother gave her…which is with the man…_Her thoughts were cut off as Hitomi interrupted again. "Mama?"

The kind eyes of her mother looked back at Hitomi. "We need to get you out of here."

"Yes! Yes! Mama, you have to sign the release forms to get me—"

Hitomi's mother stopped her. "—No, no…Honey, is there any way you can get your grandmother's pendant back to you?"

Green eyes gave brown ones a questionable look. "I—I…" Hitomi thought hard. _There must be a—…_Her thoughts froze. _That time…That one vision…_With her memory reeling backwards to the time where Van was telling her everything that she had forgot and to her own muddled visions, she remembered. That one time...when she was in the bath tub on Gaea…

…where the pendant had come to her rescue.

"Hitomi, is there? Because, there is no point in getting out of this hospital if you can't get back to Gaea…" Her mother continued.

Smiling, Hitomi nodded. "Yes! Yes, there is! It happened once before…I don't know how, but Iwill make it happen again!"

* * *

BLAH.

Hope this chapter meets up with everyone's standards. Sort of a filler, but, it had to be done. Suspense is good.

FYI: The doctor's name that was mentioned is the same name as the doctor that did that surgery on me about 7 months ago. He's a good man, that Dr. Hedden...I LOVE YOU!

Yup, everything's gonna go down in the next chapter! The story is almost done! Not many more chapters to go! See ya guys! (sorry for the lateness...school and work suck majorly)

PLEASE REVIEW


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**Disclaimer: **I'm not even going to bother this time…

**To all who reviewed: **D Thank you for everything! It's becoming repetitive, but your comments make me feel good about my writing…Even though my philosophy teacher begs to differ…Speaking of philosophy, it is the reason why this chapter is late. OMG, do you know how many written assignments I have to do? FCK! ANYWAY, this chapter is going to be a long one…ENJOY!

**Chapter Twenty Four**

There she stood. Her hair and skin still wispy white—so perfect—and her eyes…_No! Don't look at them! _Instantly, Van shut his eyes tightly, not wanting the powerful effects of her blue orbs to affect him.

"My love, I am that repulsive to look at? I am human this time…Don't you want to look at me?" Shina's hurt voice came to his ears with a sickly sweet tone.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Van shouted at her. "N—No!" He held his sword out in front of him, gripping the handle.

She tsked at him. "Silly boy. That is no way to win a woman's heart."

Van growled in frustration. _You have to attack fast…while she's stalling for time! Do it now! …But you can't see her…_He felt her presence getting closer since the temperature in the room dropped several degrees.  
**_Cold_**  
_Use the pendant, you idiot! _"Shina, you've done enough damage…"

She laughed at him. "No, no, my love, I haven't done enough. After all, I still have your other friends to kill…and you as well…"

Without a second thought, Van charged, eyes shut, palms sweaty, heart beating fast. He held out the sword in front of him, hoping against his blind strike that he actually did hit her.

However, he continued to move in the forward direction not hitting anything.

Only air.

_Where did she go? The pendant said to go straight…_Skidding to a stop and turning his body around to face the doorway, Van felt a cold hand on his arm. He jumped and swung his sword in that direction, but did not hit anything again.

Now, his breathing increased from fear. _Where is she? _Forcing himself to open his eyes, Van squinted at the room. He noticed that the pendant was pointing in all directions again and that no one was in front of him.

She's behind you…Becoming rigid, Van froze and shut his eyes again. In the hastiness of his short view of the pendant, he had not noticed that it was darker than usual. All he saw was that it was swinging in all directions because Shina's pendant was influencing it. 

_Is that why I can't see her? The pendant is not showing me the right way because it is being distracted by Shina's dark pendant? _Van noticed that the air he was breathing in was cold. _She's right behind me…_

Slowing his breathing but keeping his eyes closed, Van waited. _One…Two…_

The entire room was quiet, only echoing his breathing noise and the shallow breaths of his friends. _Three! _

Just as he was about to spin on the balls of his feet to hit her, Van felt his ear go numb. "Too slow, my king."

An icy blast pushed him forward and spun him around to make him crash into the opposite wall back first. The force that Shina supplied to him was enough to leave him semi-conscious after the hit against the stone wall. Sliding down slowly, Van felt nothing but pain. His head hurt and his eyes were temporarily blind at the moment. _Get up! _

His mind yelled at him to move out of the way, and slowly, he did so, rising shakily to his feet. _What was that? What did she hit me with? _Although the logical solution was to look around and see what the cause of the event was, Van kept his eyes shut.

Her black pendant glowed faintly.

Van's body shook with pain. The back of his head must have been cut because he could feel something running down his back. His shoulder blades ached and his sprained ankle was finding it harder to keep up.

"Van…Van…Oh, Van…What am I going to do with you? You're all ready, but you have no place to go…" Shina chided, mocking Van's determination to kill her. _You will never win…You can not harm me. I _am_ the destroyer._

"Shut-up!" He growled. His anger fueled his body and he rushed forward in the direction of her laughing. Van swung his sword around aimlessly as the pendant was still not giving him the directions he wanted.

With quick feet, Van moved around the storage room but continued to fight air. He constantly changed his position, making sure that she could not sneak up on him. _I have to hit her sooner or later…She can't hide from me forever…_

The sword's blade continued to slice air and Van began to get frustrated. Under his closed eyelids, he followed the information given by the pendant, no matter how awkward they were. He watched it swivel left, right, straight ahead and behind, trying to guide him.

But suddenly, in the midst of all the commotion…

…it stopped.

_What? _His compass vanished, no longer giving him directions at all. The little picture he had envisioned in his mind of the pendant was not there anymore. _What's going on?_

In his slight hesitation, Van felt the air around him get cold as an arm wrapped around his neck from behind him. Crying out in surprise, he hastily grabbed the offending hand and tried to yank it off. _Let me go! _

"My king…I will never let you go…" Shina mocked him as her pendant glowed darkly.

Van realized that her grip was too strong…it was unusually strong. _No…She will _not _win! _Swinging his elbow around, he let out a contented yell. He had hit something. "AH!"

And that something was Shina's jaw.

Spinning around and turning to face her, he moved from side to side. Even though he couldn't see her, Van was pretty sure that Shina was right in front of him, holding the side of her face. "…bastard…" He heard her mumble.

Van only grinned at her, eyes shut.

"You have no right to touch me, you inbred." She frowned. It was the first time any one had ever laid a hand on her in combat. _Stupid Draconian…Once you let your guard down, I will show you what real power is…_

With his confidence renewed, Van's spirit soared. _She isn't as invincible as she thinks…I have to let her get close enough to me in order for me to hit her…_Even without the guiding light of the pendant, Van continued to relish in his small victory.

Still curious on the whereabouts of the pendant, he used one hand to see if the pendant was still around his neck and kept the other on his sword. Shina was still in slight shock and hadn't moved yet, so Van took this opportunity to see exactly what happened to make the pendant's light vanish.

He quickly grasped for the chain that he clasped around his neck but it wasn't there. Van's eyebrows furrowed with question. Without a doubt, his answer came quickly.

_Hitomi…_

* * *

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. _It's here…I know it! It has to be! _There she was, in total darkness, looking for the smallest speckle of pink light. The black walls were starting to tighten around her, suffocating her. Her muscles ached from all the running, but logic took over. _You aren't really running! Don't think about how tired you are! Keep moving…_

But, unwillingly, her body began to slow down. _No! NO! Come on! You have to find it…It has to be here some—_

There it was.

Hitomi's heart almost stopped as she stood. It was only a few meters ahead of her. _How come I couldn't see it before? I used to be able to see it's light from a much farther distance…_As she stared, another idea came to her to solve her current question.

…_the light isn't strong enough anymore…_

The ground it was on started to go on an angle. _You have to catch it! _Hitomi took off again, but was moving much slower than she thought. _Oh! Come on! _She stretched out her hand and watched confused as the angled ground became straight again.

Her heart pounded in her ears and she heard as the pendant started to keep time. _Not again…_She listened as the pendant's pulse picked up. _No! Wait! Don't go out yet! _Hitomi knew that she didn't have enough time.

The pendant's light would go out.

The ground would break.

The hands would pull her down.

And there would be no angel there to save her.

_NO! _Hitomi pushed off the unstable ground with her feet and dived towards the pulsing pendant. Eyes wide, she watched her body come closer and closer to the pendant. But she heard that it was going too fast, too soon.

Someone is altering this vision…It's not supposed to be this fast…Am I literally running out of time?

Faster and faster.

Hitomi's body stretched out and started to fall towards the pendant. _Please! Oh God, please! I need this! Shina needs to be stopped! I have to go back!_

Faster and faster.

The light from the pendant was darker than usual…It wasn't as white and pure as she remembered. _Oh no…_Green eyes opened wide as she got close. The gold chain was within her grasp. Her fingers gently brushed the chain and just as she got her fingers on it…

It stopped.

The ground that kept both of them upright cracked loudly. Splitting into a million pieces, they all began to crumble away, along with the light. Hitomi kept falling, never hitting the once solid ground. Even though she was scared, she held the pendant in her hand and a contented smile on her face. She shut her eyes, getting the dizzy feeling again, but kept her pendant close to her.

Just so the bloody hands would not take it away from her.

_Hitomi…_ She heard a voice call out her name as she fell. It echoed strangely and she could not tell whose voice it was. "Hitomi!" It called again. She felt warmth on her hand and soon, the darkness under her eyelids turned into light.

Opening her eyes slowly, Hitomi could not register where she was. Her hospital room was spinning around her too fast for her to make out shapes. _My…h—head…_Never had she felt this disoriented from a vision. It was as if all the blood in her body was in her head, making her brain swim and swell with the extra fluid. _Such a headache…_

Turning her head to the side slowly, she saw a brownish blob—which she assumed was her mother. "M—Mama?" Hitomi croaked out. Her throat was dry so her voice came out in three different tones.

"Hitomi…You…It…" Hitomi's mother's voice echoed as she tried to find the appropriate words to congratulate her daughter's success. _The pendant…It—It…just appeared…Her chest started to glow and then…it came…Oh goodness…_ "H—How did you do that?"

Hitomi only smiled weakly. The brown blob that was her mother came closer to her and wrapped her arms around her. There were no words spoken, but Hitomi's mother held on tightly. She knew that this meant her daughter would be going off into that strange dimension again.

Away from safety.

In the arms of danger. _I don't care how old and mature you are! You are still my little girl! _Fear overwhelmed her. _You come back hurt…And now, she wants to go back?_

"M—Mama!" Hitomi's voice, stronger, broke the sad silence. "Too tight!" The room had finally stopped spinning and everything felt okay again.

Hitomi's mother instantly let go and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry, honey…B—But…"

Hitomi's calm smile came back. "I know, I know. You're worried."

"Can you blame me?"

"Please, mama…I can take care of myself. I _have _to do this."

"N—No. If your gentleman friend—"

"I _have _to do this….I don't want him to die. He doesn't know what he's up against yet. And now…now that I took the pendant from him…I need to go."

Hitomi's mother knew that she was right. "Oh! Hitomi!" She embraced her daughter again. Kissing her on the cheek, she sobbed into her ear. "Please tell me you'll be careful."

"I—I will." Her mother's tears were contagious, because the realization that she may never come back hit her and made Hitomi start to cry a bit.

"Be strong…"

"I w—will…"

Deep brown eyes looked into green. "I—If you succeed…Will you come back?"

Hitomi looked away from her mother for an instant to watch her fingers. "……I don't know…"

"You love him, don't you?"

She snapped her head up at the words. "Mama…What—?"

This time, her mother only smiled. "Hitomi. I want you to be careful. I want you to call me when you want to come home. I want you to be happy. I want you to be safe. Please, Hitomi…I don't want to lose you…"

Hitomi nodded. "I love you Mama."

"I love you too, Hitomi." Her mother hugged and kissed her one last time before completely letting go of her frame. After some quiet, she began to move the steel barricades that framed the bed, out of the way. "Come on…We have to get you out of here."

The pendant was quickly clasped behind Hitomi's neck by her own nervous fingers. _Please let me make it in time…_She listened closely for any sounds that the pendant might give her.

There was only a scream.

* * *

"AH!" Van crumbled against the wall. His right arm felt like it had just been pulled out of its socket. His head was swimming. His ankle had been further sprained. 

But through all the pain, he kept his eyes shut.

Blood was trickling out of new sores that were everywhere on his body. _Shit…_Van's small victory was quickly overshadowed by Shina's strength. It was as if she was in three places at once, clawing or digging at his skin and making him cold. She would push him without touching…she would make him bleed without getting close. _Oh Gods…_

_Stupid Draconian…Get up…Let me show you want I can do…_Shina growled, clenching her hands into fists, as she stood in front of Van's almost still body. _He still lives…But it can't be much longer…I love to watch them go slowly…_

With glowing eyes, she watched the blood pool at his feet.

And the creature smiled.

Van took in shaky and short breaths as he tried to get up. Although his mind told him to move, his body could not. His head was dizzy and he could feel a coppery tang in his mouth. _No…_He coughed and spit it out on the ground beside him. Cracking an eye open, he watched Shina as he wiped the bloody spit from his mouth. _W—Why is she smiling?_

Closing his eyes again, he used his left hand and arm to pull himself up with the wall. Wedging his fingers in the cracks where the stone's met, slowly, Van got up on his knees. It was as far as he could go. The abuse that Shina had delivered to his body in a few short minutes of battle was enough to kill an average man.

But Van was a fighter.

Just by pulling himself halfway up, Van had to pause to breathe in deeply. _Come on…You—You need to get up! _His mind screamed at him as his lungs tried to expand against broken ribs. Shina had pushed him up against the other wall and delivered an assault to his abdomen with only her hands. Holding him up with her palms flat against his chest, Van felt his stomach get very cold and then, he heard them snap.

After that attack, Van had only barely dodged fatal wounds when Shina had almost gripped his heart through the hospital gown with her nails. _That was too close…_Without the pendant, Van was finding it only a little more difficult to locate her. It was not much help to begin with, but it was a medallion of encouragement for him.

And now, it seemed, that not even encouragement from his descendants could save him.

Shina watched him intently. _Poor little Draconian…look what a mess you've made…_She would wait until he rose to his feet—just so that she could knock him down again. _I want to see how much of your precious Atlantian blood you have in you…that way no one else can have it…_

"Get up." Van heard her command.

He turned his head towards her. "Why?" He shot back, angrily.

Although he couldn't see it, she smiled at him. "I want to fight fairly…"

Van's body shook in anger as he clung to the wall for support. His throat was dry, cracked and filling with blood. "Your soul is too dark to want that, you whore."

"Is that why you won't look at me?" Shina asked, changing the subject. "Come now, my love. Look at me. Don't you want to have a face to remember your murderer by?"

"Shut-up!" Van desperately tried to get up but his grip was failing. He couldn't get in a good breath, his ankle refused to let his stand up and his head was not focusing in. With one good arm and fatigue setting in, it was impossible. Van stayed on the ground, at best, on his knees.

"I thought you would last much longer than this…I though angels were immortal. Those who hold the pendant are supposed to be invincible…Hmph. I guess it doesn't work with you." Shina continued. She walked closer to him. Her eyes watched him struggle with satisfaction. Kneeling down at his level, her face turned compassionate. "I wish your end wasn't so pathetic…"

Van turned very cold again. _She's too close to me…_ He inched closer to the wall. "Shut-up…I—It's not over yet…" He growled, eyes closed tightly. _Get up! Get up now! _

"Oh, I think it is…" Shina stretched, closing the distance between them, and she grabbed his chin. Elongating her nails with a simple mental spell, she dug them in his skin. "Look at me!"

Van resisted the movement by turning his neck in the opposite direction. Shina knew that if she was going to get any answers out of him, he would have to be under possession. Death did not seem to worry him enough to give answers. _I need my answers! That's all I need…then I'll grant your wish of death! Look at me!_

"LOOK AT ME!" She shouted at him, her blue eyes glowing brightly. _He needs to look at me for it to get to him! I want to know! Look at me, you damned Draconian! _"If you will not look at me, you will never look at anyone ever again!" Shina growled inhumanly as she used her strength to pull Van towards her.

Holding his face steady with one hand, Shina dragged the nails of her other hand over the skin of his eyelids. "LOOK AT ME!"

Van screamed as the talon tore his eyelid into two parts. The blood irritated his eye and the pain overall was intense. Using his left arm, he tried to desperately get her away from him. The cold was settling in again, making him close to being motionless… No thoughts were going through his head as he tried to pry her deadly hands away from his eyes.

The blood was covering his face in a red mask and Shina smiled. "So beautiful…" Leaning close, she licked the side of his face. "Such good blood, my king…it's so different…Is that what all Draconians taste like?"

He could not find the strength to push her away. _No! Get away! Don't touch me! _Shina nails started to dig a little deeper into the soft organ of his eye. Van cried out and finally moved his head a bit farther away from her deadly grip. The sensation of having his eyelid torn was too much, but he had to ignore it.

Because Shina pulled his head closer to her, with intent to get the other eye too. "N—No! STOP!" Van started to struggle away from the evident danger he was in. His body was not responding properly and Shina easily overpowered him.

She pulled him close to her face. He could feel her cold breath on his nose. "What are you going to do about it?" Van felt the nail start to push into the thin skin. The more he moved away, the more frustrated she got. "LOOK AT ME!" Her eyes started to shine again as she forced his other eyelid open with her fingers.

A dark maroon pupil darted from left to right as he tried not to look. But the blue was too bright…it was everywhere. _N—No…Please…_

As the pupil moved back and forth, it noticed that the shine from Shina's eyes was too bright…it was everywhere…Even behind her. Van felt the cold, immobile feeling setting in again, but he knew something was not right with this picture. _It's not supposed to end this way…It's too bright…_

He felt faint and lightheaded as the blood rushed away from his head and onto the floor. It was getting more difficult to breathe…But as he stared into the brightness that surrounded him, the back of his mind made him feel at peace.

Before he could sink away into a blood-loss induced sleep, he felt Shina's grip loosen and a familiar, pure presence enter the brightness in the room. _W—What?

* * *

_

**OMG.**

I am sorry!

So very, very sorry…

Wow. School sucks. This chapter isn't as good as I wanted it to be…School's been eating at my writing time. Poo. I might do a redo of this chapter later on...meh...

Well, hope you liked it. OH NO! POOR VAN!

Please review!


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**Disclaimer: **I'm not even going to bother this time…

**To all who reviewed: **D Thank you for everything! I'm getting a bit of writer's block again…(sigh)…It's like nothing is flowing properly anymore…Alas, here it the next chapter…

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Hitomi's mother stood at the entrance of the hospital. They had released her from the hospital and she took no time in getting outside. Shakily standing on her two feet, Hitomi's mother watched her take two steps before closing her eyes and grabbing the pendant.

The light was a brilliant shade of pink and as it glowed, a tall pillar of white light cascaded down and engulfed her daughter soundlessly. Her hair flapped around her tired face and her clothes blew in the mystical wind. Hitomi's mother stood in awe, taken back by the beauty of everything that was happening. _It's so pure…Like the intentions she has…This is what she wanted to do…It was in her heart…_

Even though she knew this light would bring her back into danger, Hitomi's mother did not stop her. _Oh Hitomi…_Tears were shed as she directed her gaze upward to follow her daughter's form as it ascended into the sky. Her heart was hurt emotionally; it felt like it would shatter into a million pieces. _I don't want you to go……but I know you have to…I love you, Hitomi…_ "I love you…" She whispered to herself as the last of the white light sparkled in front of her.

_Take care of her Mr. Fanel…

* * *

_

Through the bright light, Hitomi opened her eyes in hopes of seeing anything. She knew that she was in a room…with cold stone walls…and two figures were in front of her. Her heart clenched as she assumed who they were. _Van…Shina…_Hitomi could feel that aura again that suffocated her in her visions before.

She reached out from the protective light of the column in an effort to pull Shina away, but Hitomi did not realize how far away she was. _Come on…reach! _The image in front of her was getting clearer and closer to her as the pillar was slowly dissipating. Her hand hit the cold air in the stone room as it left the light and it touched something even colder.

Shina whipped her head around, her blue eyes glowing angrily. _Stupid wretch! You can not harm me! _Hitomi clutched on to her shoulder—  
**_A force, unknown to nature, sent her wrist backwards  
_**—and felt pain shoot up her arm. _The same trick doesn't work on me twice! _Narrowing her green eyes at Shina, Hitomi held on as tightly as a dislocated wrist could allow, and shifted her body to propel herself in her direction.

Still being in a levitated position, Hiotmi pushed out of the pillar with full force, causing her to crash into Shina's cold form. It was a shock to her system but the morphine the hospital had given her before she left was helping to remove all the pain. Wrapping her other arm around her neck and her legs around her waist, Hitomi held on, only slightly feeling the cold enter her system. Instead, she felt that same suffocating feeling again. _Oh…What's happening? _

Shina screamed. "You have no right to touch me!" Moving away from Van, and standing upright, Shina tried to use her nails to pry the Mystic Moon woman off.

The talons pierced Hitomi's skin effortlessly, but she only clung tighter. She had a job to do. _Her pendant…It needs to be destroyed…_ Through the haze, Hitomi was determined to get to work. Using the arm that was wrapped around her neck, Hitomi forced her almost frozen fingers to find the clasp. _Where is it? _

Van fell back against the wall, breathing hard. With one good eye that constantly had blood running into it, he shut them. _Oh Gods…Oh Gods…What's happening? _From his hearing, heightened by the lack of vision, he heard a struggle going on. Prying open a sore eye, he saw through red vision Shina moving around—twisting, turning—with someone on top of her. _Hitomi?_ He couldn't see, but he could feel her. _She's here? What is she doing here? _

With Shina's constant turning and twisting, Hitomi started to get a familiar light-headed, dizzy feeling. But, her fingers continued to search for the clasp. _Come on…Come on…_The pain in her arm and wrist was aching, however, it was subdued from all the morphine she still had in her system.

She was tired. She was hurt. Hitomi felt as if she could die…it felt like her lungs were going to explode…but she couldn't stop. Not now. _I need to get this…_Her eyes shut, as the spinning room was not helping. As her fingers followed the chain that held Shina's pendant to her neck, Hitomi realized that Shina must have known what she was doing because she was now more frantic. "LET GO OF ME!" Shina screamed. Growling, she muttered a quick incantation and focused her energy.

_It isn't here! No! Come on! Where is it? _Hitomi's fingers had come up with nothing. She had gone through the entire chain and hadn't found anything to unclasp the evil pendant. _No! No! NO! _Then, she felt something. It wasn't what she was looking for, but it was something cold. Very cold and hard and it was pushing at her torso. It seemed to be coming from Shina's body. _No! Not now! Wait! I need more time!_

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TOUCH ME!" Shina yelled, her anger fuelling her attack on the woman. Pure, cold energy surrounded her body like a bubble in an effort to pry Hitomi off. It was a bright blue colour and was acting like a growing shield to get rid of the nuisance from the Mystic Moon.

The pressure that was pushing up on her ribs was enough to crack them. _She's going to kill you! You need to let go! _Logic pounded into her brain as Hitomi's tired mind tried to understand exactly what was going on. …_But the pendant!… _Another part shouted back. _…Let go!…But Van needs—!…LET GO! _Forgetting about finding the clasp, Hitomi grabbed the chain itself and let Shina's powers push her off.

Along with her pendant.

The force of the energy bubble that threw Hitomi into the wall harshly also sent the dark pendant flying into another part of the room. "My pendant!" Shina shrieked as she realized it was missing. She spun around to watch Hitomi collide with the wall but could not see the airborne path that her pendant had taken.

Forgetting about Van for the moment, Shina stormed over to Hitomi and hoisted the disoriented woman off the floor. Hitomi had hit her head pretty hard on the wall and was in no mood to start moving again.

"YOU!" Shina hissed. "Where is it?"

A light smile touched Hiotmi's lips as the suffocating feeling was less. "Where is what?"

Shina's breath hitched. "You little whore. HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" Her blue eyes glowed fiercely. Then, suddenly, her brain switched gears. _She must be back to save him…How sweet…How perfect…_ Shina's angry energy towards the misplacement of the pendant was put into how she could finish her plan without it. "I'm going to make you kill your angel…" She mumbled under her breath, with a sinister tone. _What a perfect ending…_ Thinking of the same possession spell that worked on Van, she pushed her power into Hitomi's mind.

Van coughed again as he slumped against the wall, watching through his red vision. _Oh Hitomi…Hitomi…Wha—What are you doing? _He saw everything and tried to intervene…tried to stop her from screaming so much…

But he couldn't.

It seemed that all he could do was watch.

The familiar feeling of helplessness came full force as Van's brain suddenly brought back all the visions that he had and the ones Hitomi remembered. _I—I am the angel that can't save her…Oh Gods…Is this why I could not do anything? _Grief overcame him. _Why? This isn't supposed to happen. She isn't supposed to die! No one is! And it's all my fault. _

His mind continuously threw situations where he could have done something more…something different…anything that could have changed this ending. And they all came back to one thing. _If only I wasn't a Draconian…a monster…None of this would have happened…_He knew it was foolish to think this way, but his negative thoughts were the most persistent in his mind.

Van's one eye that could see opened wider when he noticed that Shina was yelling at Hitomi and that she was holding her up against the wall. _No! No! Not Hitomi…please…_Reality came crashing down onto him. This was no time to squander seconds away. This was no time to feel sorry for himself. They still needed him; _she _needed him…He wasn't dead yet; he was still able to fight. _I never run away…_There was a battle to be fought with his love, life and country at stake. He was _not _helpless. He was down but not out.

And he was a fighter. _The story is still on…I can change this ending, whether Shina likes it or not! _

All of his previous thoughts were thrown to the wind as he realized what he would be losing if he was to do noting. What he would become if he did nothing. _If I don't do anything, I will be a monster…If I—I brought everyone to this…I _will_ bring them out of it! _

His eyes narrowed and his fractured jaw set. _She can't win…_Newly found adrenaline pumped into his veins, making the pain lessen and his consciousness more alert. After grabbing the biggest and sharpest stone that was lying around for a weapon, slowly, the angel began to rise. Torn and battered, bloody and beat, Van's breath picked up as he fought the urge to collapse. _Hitomi needs me…And I'll die trying, dammit. _

Something with a powerful presence fell next to her with a gentle clinking sound. _W—What? _Her eyes were too tired to open and she had given up moving and struggling. Furry ears twitched towards the sound. Merle's semi-conscious mind was starting to wake up and soon a whole multitude of sounds came softly to her ears. _Who's there?_

One blue eye cracked open a peek at the scene in front of her. It was blurry and obstructed by the metal rods that imprisoned her, but she knew what she saw. _Th—They're b—back…_Hope filled her heart. _They're g—gonna save us…_

Her usually loud voice was too quiet and tired to wake up her fellow cellmates, so instead, Merle sat silently. She watched Shina…and Hitomi…and Van—he was farther away—but she could barely hear anything they were saying. Merle was not sure why she couldn't hear, but paid no attention to it. _I'm too tired…_Blinking once, her attention switched as she remembered what had woken her up in the first place. She diverted her eyes to that thing that had made the funny noise.

It was hard to see with her fatigued muscles and starving body, but the light from the broken windows had caught onto something. Titling her head, she watched how it sparkled dimly…giving off a gray glow. _I wonder what it could be? _Merle did not make a sound as she moved her not-so-fluffy tail in the direction of the sparkling object. _Come on…grab it…_Her tail curled around the object and dragged it back closer to where she was.

The chain was broken, so she carefully lifted the gray thing on the end of her tail so that she could see it with her eyes. _It's so…W—Wait…this isn't Van's pen—pendant…_Merle looked up again at the scene in front of her with confusion. _Why is it black? _

She didn't understand what was going on. _Oh gods…what's happening? Are they beating her? Whose pendant is—is this? _Trying as hard as possible to see what was beyond her cell, she noticed that there was red…a lot of red…all over the place and that Van was not standing straight…_Lord V—Van? _She also saw that Hitomi was up against the wall by one angry Shina. _Hitomi! No! Get f—free!_

Although fear leapt into her heart, Merle continued to watch. The two women were yelling at each other but Van was not making a sound. He was trying to move…but there was something funny in the way he was walking…There was something funny about the look of his body. He was all…red?

_Oh gods…Oh g—gods…_Merle's eyes were about to be filled with tears when a shining, but faint, pink light came into her view. _What? _Focusing her tired eyes and mind, it was only a few moments later that she realized whose pendant she had. _Hitomi's w—wearing Van's pen—pendant……the only other person here…_

And she smiled.

"You stupid woman! You should have never returned!" Shina repeated again, tone deathly low. Her nails were digging into Hitomi's shoulders, drawing more blood. Blue eyes glowed steadily, but Hitomi continued to be unaffected by either pain or powers. _What is this? Why isn't this mortal succumbing to my powers?_ Increasing her magic, Shina waited. And waited. _That stupid pedant cannot protect you forever! _Shina thought, noticing the glow of it. _It is too weak! You will be under my possession soon enough!_

The goodness in Hitomi's pendant was not going to let anything happen. They had a job to do. Making a protective shield around Hitomi's soul and mind, Shina's dark magic was neutralized. But Hitomi knew that it could not hold out much longer under the increasing intensity. Steadying her breathing, she quickly sprang into action. _One…Two…_

"Let me go! NOW!" Hitomi grabbed onto Shina's arms to hoist herself up a few centimeters. _…Three! _With whatever strength she had left in her legs, Hitomi pushed both of them into Shina's abdomen. The pendant pushed onto Shina as well, sending her farther away from her. There was a weird sizzling sound as the purity of the blow burned Shina's withered skin and the sorceress held back a cry of agony.

From temporarily dislodging Shina's nails from her shoulders, Hitomi clutched onto the nearest jail bar for support. Her fresh wounds were making her weak and all of the activity was taking its toll already. _Oh no…No, please…Don't give up on me now…_Hitomi told her body.

Looking up at the cell as she tried to stand up again, Hitomi saw who the prisoners were for the first time since coming back. Falling on her knees in grief, Hitomi grabbed another jail bar as she started to sob. _N—No…N—N—NO! God…Oh my God…Allen……Mill—Millerna……Where's Yuki?………and Merle…oh, Merle……How did they get here? How _long _have they been here? _Her green eyes, which were starting to tear, darted between all three of them. _They're going to die…_

When she focused her eyes on Merle, Hitomi saw the effects of her imprisonment. Merle's fur was patchy and had completely fallen off in some areas. Her bones protruded unnaturally against the skin and her overall complexion was pale and subdued. However, in her grief-stricken medical analysis, Hitomi noticed something else. Something different. Merle's tail was curled up around her, holding something.

Something gray.

Something that had that same suffocating aura.

"Your mortal combat will do little, woman." Hitomi heard Shina's voice coming from behind her. _Shit…_Hitomi turned her head to the left to keep Shina in her peripheral vision and by doing this, she caught a glimpse of something she did not expect to see.

Van standing just a few feet from her left.

Their eyes locked for a second and Hitomi almost wanted to grab him and bring him back to the Mystic Moon. From the extent of his injuries that she could see, he needed severe medical attention. _I need to bring him back…But I can't…We need to finish this… _Emotions flooded her body; her heart pounded from love, her head ached from frustration, and her eyes drenched from sadness. _We can't leave…not even if he's like that…We have to finish her…_ "V—Van…?"

"Hito…m—mi…" Van's broken English pained her. The way he was walking towards her made her question every bit of biology she knew. _How can he still be moving? It doesn't look right at all… He's lost so much blood…_

But he kept moving forward.

Her eyes darted between him and Shina. _What is he doing? No! Van! Please! I don't want you to die! _She stayed silent and started to rise with the aid of the jail bars to show him that she was okay and that he should rest. _Please…Please, don't do this…_

But he kept moving towards her. By the time she had stood up completely, Hitomi turned to see Van's body standing in front of her. Protecting her.

Making sure that the visions never came true.

_I will not watch…I will do something—anything—to stop this…_Van struggled to stay upright but managed to hold his arms straight out in front of the jail cells and in front of her. _I will not watch you bleed, Hitomi…I will not watch you die…_

He turned his head a bit so that he could see Hitomi in his peripheral vision and whispered as low as he could, "D—Do w—w—what you hav—have to…" Van was not sure if Hitomi already had a plan, but he would take any blows that Shina would give him to stall for time. That way, hopefully, she would have one by the end.

And she would live.

And everything would be okay. _……Hitomi…_

"How pathetic," Shina commented cruelly, "Your last resort is a man who can't even stand upright. Bravo. You're really making this too easy. Your friends lasted _much_ longer than this…I would of thought that for sure your precious angel would fight a bit more strongly, even as a human." She paused to let out an amused chuckle. "Hmph. I suppose that he only fights well when he's under my possession, right, woman?" Shina smiled as she referred to Hitomi's little injury.

Van wiped the blood out of his mouth with the back of his hand. He was not focusing in on what Shina was saying but figured that it had something to do with Hitomi. Van changed the subject quickly. "S—S—Shina…you wis—sh to fight the angel…?" His dark eyebrows narrowed and his teeth clenched together as the Draconian forced his wings to come out.

Hitomi watched from behind him how his back arched and hunched outward to accommodate his growing wings. They pushed up against his skin and were freed with a weak scream from Van's lips. They shredded whatever was left of his hospital gown and sent pieces of the material—with white and red feathers—everywhere.

Van's torso bent forward from the force, but he did not fall down. He staggered a bit before trying to correct his posture. Shina watched amazed but happy. _So this is the angel that I'm sworn to destroy…_She watched him breathe with difficultly and move with inaccuracy, knowing that it was all because of her. Chuckling a bit at Van's awkward and pained movements, Shina recited a memory that she had seen in Hitomi's mind when she had almost swiped it clean. "I think your wings are beautiful, Van…"

Hitomi stared wide-eyed at the scene and at Shina's comment but pulled her attention away from it. She dropped down on her knees quickly and faced Merle's cell, using Van's wings as a cover so Shina would not see her. "Merle! _Merle!_" Hitomi called her as loud as she could without rousing Shina's suspicion. "Please! I need your help!"

She watched Merle's ears twitch. "Yes! Come on! Merle! _Merle!_" Her pale face turned slightly to where the voice was coming from and one dilated pupil finally stared back at Hitomi. Swallowing a lump in her throat, caused by Merle's poor condition, Hitomi continued. "Merle, I need you to give me that pendant…"

Although the sound was low and picture was not very clear, Merle began to stretch out her tail in the direction of the pinkish blob with green dots and light-brown hair. She could _feel _the presence of her friend and knew that she had to do her best to cooperate so that they could all get out of there. Hitomi stretched out her hand as well, coaxing and encouraging the weakening cat-girl. "Come on, Merle…You're doing great…Just a little m—more…" Hitomi kept her voice just above a whisper as she reached for the grey pendant.

"The a—angel is here, S—Shina…Wha—What are you…wait—waiting for?" Van's voice outdid Hitomi's on volume by several degrees, covering her more from Shina's grasp. He needed to distract her as much as possible. "What. Are. You. Waiting. For?" He broke up his words to make them as strong as possible as he glared at her through his bloody and tousled hair.

Shina straightened her arm towards him and mumbled something he could not pick up. A blue-white ball of light appeared, coming out of her wrist. It began to glow as Shina's eyes started to glow too. It wasn't as bright as it usually was, but Van braced himself regardless.

"You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Shina glared. _My pendant is behind you…in the cells…I can sense these things too… _"Never underestimate your opponents, my love."

Hitomi's head snapped up at Shina's newest words. _She knows…_Pushing her body right up against the bars, she stretched. _Come on! Reach! Just a little more! _Her arms hurt and were letting out a lot of blood into the cells. "Merle! Just a little more!"

The patchy tail was stretched out to its fullest and was twitching from holding the position. Hitomi's fingers were just barely brushing the fur as they both continued to reach out. Hitomi pressed her body further into the bars, and was so close to reaching for it.

It was right there.

So close. _Come on! Please! Reach! Get it!_

Van hunched over slightly to make his center of gravity lower as he waited for Shina's move. _Whatever it takes…_He kept the stone gripped firmly in his hand, telling himself not to drop it. Wiping the blood out of his view again, he saw that the blue light was much bigger than before. And that it was coming straight for him.

He moved his wings to wrap around him so that they gave him an extra barrier; an added defense to keep him in front of Hitomi for a longer time. But he was not expecting for the blue light to come right through them and wrap itself around his waist. With a confused gasp, Van tried to pry the light away from his body. It was cold, like always, and it lifted him off the ground with ease, not even slightly affected from his attempts to get free.

Van felt his stomach move up in his chest as he was turned upside down a few feet in the air. His wings tried to change his course, but he was thrown into the opposite wall with a force to crack the stones.

He collided into the wall with a yell as his bad shoulder took most of the impact. He crumpled onto his side and rolled over so that he was facing Hitomi. His wings draped over his broken body as he struggled to stay awake and breathe. His head was swimming and pain shook his entire being. He knew that he was losing too much blood…that his bones could not take anymore…and that it was only a matter of time.

Not even his ancestors could save him now.

"VAN! NO!" Hitomi's scream echoed off the wall as she turned right around to witness Shina's latest demonstration of her power. Tears were falling out of her eyes and all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball. _No…No…Please…God…_Her heart felt like it could explode.

She heard footsteps coming towards her and immediately backed up into the jail cell. When Hitomi looked up, she was face to face with the creature. Her tears stopped but she sobbed. _Van…Oh, Van…Please, still be awake…_

The creature snarled at her. "Give me my pendant…"

Hitomi stared into its eyes with defiance. "N—No…I don't have it…" She slowly began to stand, holding onto the bars behind her for support.

"Your angel is dead…There is no use fighting anymore. I've won. It's over." It hissed at her. "The last Draconian is dead…The earth will be reborn…all thanks to me…There is nothing you can do. You've lost, woman…Now, get me my pendant. I know that you know where it is!"

"N—No…" Hitomi clutched the bars tighter, shutting her eyes tightly and focusing her energy into finding Van. The pendant began to glow again; it was weak, but it was still pulsing.  
_**Lub-Dub  
Lub-Dub  
**_"…no…NO!" Hitomi repeated, opening her eyes. "You haven't won! He is still alive! Van! VAN!" She called out to him, trying to get a response from him.

"Stupid woman. Do not give into your foolish desires."

"VAN! VAN!" She watched him from over the creature's shoulder. She waited.  
_**Lub-Dub  
**__**Lub-Dub  
**_And waited.

_His heart…_ "VAN!" Hitomi screamed as loud as she could, waiting for a response. _Something…anything! Please! _She waited. And waited.

And then, she saw it.

He was looking straight at her with his one good eye.

It was not a trick with the light. She _saw _him looking at her. "V—VAN!" Holding her hand over her head, she whipped Shina's black pendant as hard as she could in his direction. The creature gripped her arm just after she had thrown it and pushed her back into the cell hard. Hitomi's shoulder blades smacked against the bars loudly. "Stupid woman!" It screamed, turning around to walk towards the motionless angel where its pendant was angrily. _Waste of my time—!_

The creature had barely gotten five steps when it felt an arm wrap around her. The pink pendant was still pulsing, faster this time, sending another burning sensation to the creature. It screamed as it tried to get the offending hand off, but Hitomi held on in pain. "VAN!"

A bloody hand was outstretched and the black pendant was in its reach. Two fingers broken, it held onto it with its thumb and index finger. Van slowly retracted his arm towards his body and held the sharp rock over it.

Faster and faster.

The creature continued to thrash around, digging its talons into Hitomi's arms again and pulling on her broken wrist. Although she screamed in pain, Hitomi held on. But she knew that it wouldn't be much longer. "VAN! BREAK IT! BREAK IT!" She managed to shout in between bouts of pain.

Faster and faster.

Van slammed the rock down with his good arm and was satisfied by the sound it made. _Break it…Break it…_Hitomi's instructions repeated in his head. He heard Shina scream. _Again…Do it again…_He held the rock higher this time before crashing it on the black pendant for the second time.

"NO! NO! GET OFF ME!" The creature shouted, feeling its pendant's pain, and its own power weakening. Finally, the creature flung Hitomi off of its body and she collided against the stone wall again. Although it was rid of the woman, it still felt the effects of her pure pendant. Its body burned, like her anger. Growling, it headed in the direction of the angel.

Faster and faster.

For a third time, Van smashed the rock against the black pendant, getting frustrated that it hadn't broken yet. _Again…Again! _He was tired. He was barely conscious. Something else was keeping him moving. _Break it! _

Faster and faster.

The creature was just inches of Van's body, reaching out to grab the pendant before it broke. "NO! STOP THAT NOW!"

The rock was coming down again.

Faster and faster.

Hitomi watched, blurry-eyed from her position at the wall; the pink pendant was spinning in all directions again, but its light was brighter. _The pendant…is—is giving Van's its power…_

Faster and faster.

"Van…break it…" She whispered, feeling a copper tang in her mouth.

"GIVE ME MY PENDANT!" The creature screamed, its fingers elongated to grab it. It was so close to it. _It's mine!_

And then, it stopped.

Van smashed the rock down for the final time and watched as a crack formed. The tiny crack etched its way along the entire surface of the pendant. It cricked and cracked in the silence of the room. Bluish gray light was being emitted from the cracks as they got deeper.

Before the creature could say a word, the pendant had split down the middle and shattered. Tiny pieces of black flew everywhere, being propelled in different directions from the bluish gray light that exploded from the center of it.

The creature let out the loudest and high-pitched scream in the room and dropped to its knees to salvage what was left of its pendant. "NO! No…No! It can't be!" It felt weaker already. Although it still had all the same powers as before, they had a lower intensity now. It grabbed the shards and tried hard to catch whatever power was still in the air.

Hitomi's pendant levitated upwards and Van's body did the same. She watched on, taking in everything very slowly. _It's gone…_Hitomi no longer felt suffocated. _It's gone…Her powers are weaker now…_ Looking at Van's body, she realized that he was not on the ground anymore. The pendant was also glowing again. Eyes wide, but unable to move, Hitomi watched him. _The pendant…It's making him……Oh, God…_

The body of Van gracefully picked up his long discarded sword laying a few steps away with his good arm. He walked back towards the creature and glared at it. With a tight frown and an angry outcry, the pendant made Van hoist the bewildered creature off the floor and up against the wall.

_Van… _Hitomi watched as the pendant continued to get darker. _What are you doing? What dark desire do you have?_

The creature gasped as Van held it up against the wall with his arm against her collarbone and his blade against her neck. "I told myself that I would destroy you before you hurt anyone else…"

"M—My love…Please, listen to what you are saying. You don't mean that…" The creature tried its last attempt at getting free. With its powers temporarily out of sync, it was trying to play on Van's sympathetic nature…trying to possess him again. _It worked before when my strength was halved…he is barely alive…he cannot resist me!_

Van stayed silent, his breathing severally strained. His body shook, but his pendant kept him and the creature standing upright. "Y—You wouldn't kill another woman you love, would you?" The creature continued, using his emotions.

He swallowed thickly and answered her question by pressing his blade against her throat. His eyes were dark and cloudy. "I—I never l—loved you…"

With a gasp from Hitomi, Van's blade swiped cleanly through the creature's throat; decapitating the creature who set to destroy the world. There was no blood, no twitching…its head just rolled on the floor, soundlessly. Hitomi saw the pendant's darkened light start to fade and dim; Van followed suit. His wings drooped and his sword fell from his hands. The creature's body fell onto the floor as he let go of it and he fell backwards to land on his back with a thud.

* * *

0.0 That took A LOT longer than I thought it would. 

Hope you all enjoyed it! I somewhat liked how this turned out. :D Ding-Dong, the witch is dead! Sorry again for the long wait…I hope it was worth it!

PLEASE REVIEW


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

**Disclaimer: **I really hate repeating myself…XD

**To all who reviewed/read: **ZOMG! I LOVE YOU ALL! I'm sorry, once again, for my tardiness on chapter updates! I hope you guys keep reading until the end! It'd be a shame to miss out…Thank you, thank you, thank you! Love for everyone!

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Hitomi didn't know how long it had been until a group of men in yellow, green and white uniforms broke the door down and entered the room. From her position at the wall, she saw their faces when they walked in. The younger soldiers eyes opened wide and a few jaws dropped before the leader turned to them and asked them, "How many stretchers do we have left?"

She hadn't heard the question clearly, but she heard enough to know that they were going to take them somewhere to get better. _Yes…Yes…We're all g—going to get better…_Green eyes followed the men as they examined the room. One of the younger ones knelt down to become eye level with her. "Milady? Milady, are you o—okay?"

The man waved a hand in front of her face, trying to see if she was conscious and able to answer a few questions. He and his fellow troops had come from the East to respond to a frantic S.O.S from Freid. The message said that their king was abducted and they needed backup. However, that was not the only one they had received. Many others had requested for help, explaining the ordeal. They said that the princess of Yoshidaria had assumed war on Fanelia, Asturia and many other established countries in the West. She was destroying everything and they said that it would only be a matter of time before she crossed the ocean to get to them.

Regardless of the state of some international affairs, the East got together as many troops as possible to aid their neighbours across the sea. If the princess was succeeding so easily in the West, they knew that they would be next if they didn't combine their numbers right away. _By the looks of it, it seems that everything was taken care of…_The young soldier thought, seeing the decapitated princess. _But there's a lot of rebuilding to do…_

The woman looked at him sadly. "…Help…"

"Yes…Yes, that's what we're here for…" The man nodded, noticing the malnourished prisoners, her bloody arms and another bloodied man next to the body of the princess. _…Wait…What? _Looking back at the fallen man, his brain registered something that his eyes could not believe. _A D—Draconian! Oh, gods! A Draconian……T—That's the King of Fanelia!_

Two other men were already putting Van's body on one of the stretchers they had left and Hitomi swallowed thickly as she watched them move him like a dead-weight. _Oh…please…don't let him die…_

Most of the other men were focusing their time and effort into opening the chains that attached the three prisoners to the wall. After much deliberation, the men had used the points of their daggers to unscrew the nail that held the cuff together. They used three other stretchers and moved quickly out of the room. Hitomi followed all four stretchers leave the room with her eyes; not able to do much else.

"Milady, can you stand? Or move, at all?" The young soldier asked her, finally tearing his eyes off the Draconian. His wings seemed to pose a problem when his men started to place him on the stretcher, but they simply fell apart, leaving only red-tinged feathers all around him. As he waited for an answer from the woman with the bleeding arms, the young man was caught slightly off guard when she suddenly passed out and fell over.

"Men, move out! Get these guys, and the others, to the medicinal area! They all need medical attention!" The commander shouted. "I know it's a long way from here so, we got to move fast! The nearest area is in Togane. Get the vehicles ready!"

* * *

She was unconscious for several hours. She didn't even know that she had spent almost an hour on a carriage practically bleeding to death. There were no thoughts, no dreams…just nothing. Hitomi was completely unaware of everything that was happening around her until she realized that something wet and cold was touching her forehead and something sweet was filling her nostrils. Even then, it took her some time before she woke up.

Green eyes were slowly reopened and a low groan was emitted from her lips. The room spun around her; nothing was clear, just a jumbled mess. Her sound perception was not much better. She could hear different tones of voice with different emotions in them, but there was no understanding to what they were saying.

The wet and cold thing was reapplied to her forehead. "Milady?" A nurse called, seeing that her eyes were open. _Poor woman…been through a lot…_

Hitomi turned her head slightly at the louder tone but could not speak back to her.

"Don't worry; you don't have to say anything…" The nurse smiled. "You're in good hands here. Togane has some of the best medical practitioners." _She probably doesn't know what I'm saying…_She thought, noticing Hitomi's dazed expression. Just as she was about to turn around to tend to other—more serious patients—she remembered that she had to give this woman something. "…Oh, before I forget…"

Going to the table next to Hitomi's cot, the nurse picked up the pendant and moved back to her to put it back on. As she adjusted the clasp, she smiled. "Such a beautiful trinket…You don't see gems like these anymore…"

Her eyes were getting clearer. The blobs in the room were taking shape. She could distinguish between the nurse and the table and the wall. Hitomi let out another groan from her stiff joints and tried to move in her cot. But this only caused sharp pains to shoot up her arms, abdomenand spine. Her tired state muffled her cry of pain. "Ah!"

"Easy! Easy! We can't have you doing much of that!" The nurse quickly restrained Hitomi, pushing lightly on her shoulders to return her to her previous position. "I know that you're stiff…But you have to wait it out a little longer…Doctor's orders. Here, I'll get some more medicine for you…"

Hitomi heard the nurse walk away, along with several groans and cries of agony from her fellow bed-ridden roommates. As her senses became more functional, she noticed that the air was drenched with the scent of blood and something else…something sweet… Like flowers, but different. _……W—Wha—at? …_The more she tried to identify the substance, the more disoriented she became.

Looking around, she saw that the room was light blue…with three windows which were all facing her…The sky was grey; it somewhat sounded as if it was raining…She was on a bed with yellow sheets…her arms were covered in thick white bandages…It looked like there was smoke in the room, but it wasn't smoke; more like a hazy film in the air. It was the thing that was sweet and making her tired again.

"Alright…Here you go…" The nurse returned with a white bowl and a smoldering stick. Hitomi watched her slowly as she put one inside the other to produce more of the sweet smelling hazy film that was everywhere. "This'll help…with the pain…" It only took a few more deep breaths in before Hitomi's eyes rolled back in her head as she drifted back into unconsciousness.

* * *

The pendant was sitting in front of her again. Its light casting shadows onto darkness. And she sat there, like she always did. Waiting.

Hitomi tilted her head to the side and her breathing slowed. _…W—What? _She knew that she had to move towards her pendant before the ground cracked, but her legs hurt. Everything was stiff and sore. _Come o—on…_Pushing herself up, she only managed to get on her hands and knees from her kneeling position. Instead of running, she crawled.

It felt like years before she reached the pendant but the rules of time did not apply here. It was nothing but darkness and the tiny pink gem. She was right up against it but nothing happened yet. The pendant did not gain a heartbeat like it usually did. It just sat there. Glowing.

Waiting.

Hitomi sat up again on the back of her legs and reached down to grab it. _The vis—vision's changed…_Her slow breathing echoed around her as she stared at it. Looking inside, she saw aspects of all of the previous visions; the blue eye, the bloody hands, the feathers, Van's attack…and how each of them corresponded to what happened.

_The blue eyes were Shina and they glowed like that whenever she used her magic…Van's hands were covered in blood when he carried me home…His feathers were red when we were fighting…A—And he did hurt me……_Her thoughts were much clearer now and Hitomi was able to think rationally.

_It was Shina all along…her and her powers…She was just an old, vengeful witch…A destroyer…Whatever power she had made Van hurt me—but he carried me home for help, even though he was hurt too…He wasn't in the right state of mind…It wasn't his fault…The blood was everywhere…the destruction…all for Escaflowne. The only reason she wanted it was because it was tied to a descendant of Atlantis. She hated Atlantis…just because people were having a good life…_

Although Hitomi was remembering and answering most questions, she still did not know exactly what caused Shina to start the chain of events. _There must have been something to start it…Maybe it was her that fell from grace…maybe now, all she does is continuously destroy or start destruction to make everyone else fall like she did…Oh God…_

She looked up from the pendant for a moment to stare into the darkness. Her hand clutched it tightly, not wanting to let go. There was no doubt in her mind that if they hadn't stopped Shina, she would have succeeded in destroying Gaea as a whole. She would have destroyed the simple and sweet life the people here had.

Just because she wanted to.

Hitomi admitted to herself that Shina's work must have affected her world a long time ago. It was if Shina was all of the vices put into one being; poisoning the minds of the innocent and offsetting the good.

_Atlantis was destroyed because the angels wanted to be better than their neighbour; jealousy, greed…Shina was the one that started that…So now, those vices have been passed on to us. I guess it was taking too long—to her liking—for us to destroy ourselves like the Atlantians did…_Hitomi felt tears come down her face. She knew that Shina was not really dead. Even though Shina, as a person was gone…there would always be something that would continue her quest.

Something dark that just wanted everything bad in the world to happen.

_Shina had taken a human form to destroy Gaea herself because it wasn't happening as fast as she wanted it to…and that was her mistake…Whatever will take her place is going to learn from that and never enter the material world…Just to work behind the scenes and be patient…and wait…_

Hitomi furiously wiped the tears out of her eyes because they were blurring everything. Returning her gaze to the pendant to see if it would tell her anything else, Hitomi was saddened. It seemed hopeless to know all of this; humanity was on a course of self-destruction and they didn't even know it. _It took all of this for me to realize it…To see what can really happen…_

Her heart fell and she felt sick. _Oh, God…_Although her eyes were watery, she stared into the pendant's reminiscence of the past. She watched it replay the moment when Shina's pendant shattered. _The pendant she stole to start the wishing…it became so dark from her soul…_

Just as all the black pieces of the impure pendant broke apart, Hitomi noticed the faintest, the smallest, the almost unrecognizable sliver of pink in the center of it all. _What was that? _She couldn't get a good look at it because, like all the other pieces, it flew out of sight. The pendant's light started to fade, stopping the memories, and soon, Hitomi was left alone in the darkness. She waited for the ground to break, the hands to pull her down and to keep falling but none of that happened.

The darkness around her turned lighter and lighter.

And a single white feather fell in front of her eyes.

* * *

"V—V…" Hitomi's mouth opened to speak as she awoke from her last vision but it couldn't form words just yet. "V—V…" Her eyes opened a bit to adjust to the light in the room. The sun was out today, spilling yellow light into the room. By the time she had opened her eyes completely, Hitomi's vision was normal again as her hearing.

The nurse was at her side quickly. Hitomi had recognized her from the blob she had seen before. "I'm glad you're up. There are some exercises we need to do. It's been about three days and its time to stretch out your muscles…" The nurse paused. "Wait…If you can hear me and understand me, blink once."

Hitomi blinked slowly and then looked the woman in the eye. "Oh, good! Now, we'll go as slow as you like, okay?" The nurse moved closer to Hitomi and began her exercises. She put both hands on her right leg and slowly began to bend it so that her knee reached her chest. There was a cracking sound as Hitomi's joints were being forced to move after almost three days of immobility. Her abdomen began to sting when her leg pushed up against her tender scar.

The woman repeated this with the other leg until all the cracking noises stopped. "Is that better?" Hitomi nodded, relieved that her stiffness in her joints was beginning to lessen. She ignored the pain from her first wound, however.

Next, the woman put a hand behind Hitomi's shoulder blades and carefully began to push her in an upright position. "I'm sorry, milady, but you need to get up sometime!" She would repeat at every groan of protest that came from Hitomi's lips.

The blood rushed to her head, making the room spin and her stomach knot. Hitomi shut her eyes and waited for the uncomfortable feeling to pass. She tried to focus on something else, to get her mind off of her current situation; she was sore…everything hurt and sitting upright was not helping. All she wanted to do was sleep, but she had to know something. Hitomi tried to speak again to the nurse. "L—Lord…Van…" She whispered with her eyes still shut. Her throat was dry and her voice cracked.

The nurse's heart fell. _Oh…milady…_ "He's doing…well…" The woman responded, picking her words carefully.

Hitomi heard the tone and knew that the woman was lying. "I—I want…t—to se—ee him…" Every word she said was broken up. She looked at the nurse again, eyes open and locking onto hers, before continuing. "P—Pleas—se?"

"Milady, you will not be able to see him in your condition. We have not touched upon your walking exercises yet. You're still too stiff for walking…You need to regain your strength." The nurse objected, trying to stop her from seeing the king. His condition was not the best to be a witness of.

"P—Please?"

The older woman saw the pained look in her face. She couldn't deny this woman's request, could she? _But…his majesty's days could be numbered…_Quickly scanning the room, the nurse had an idea that would get her patient to see Lord Van by not hurting herself. "Meredith!" She called out to a fellow nurse. "Could you get me the mobile seat?"

Hitomi was amazed when Meredith pulled up a metal and wooden wheelchair next to her bed. _A…A wheelch—chair…_On the count of three, both of them lifted her into the simple wheelchair. "Have a nice trip!" Meredith said cheerily, before walking away. It was then that Hitomi noticed that Meredith had tail underneath her dress. It looked more scaly than furry, but it was a tail, nonetheless. _J—Just like Merle…Oh! Merle! _At the mention of her friend's name, her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

The nurse who Hitomi was more familiar with pushed her out of her room and into a narrow hallway with doors lined up along both walls. She kept one hand on Hitomi's shoulder to keep her from falling forward. "Would you wish to see the people you were brought in with? All of them?"

Hitomi stayed silent for a little bit, taking in the scene of the hallway in front of her with her eyes half open. Some doors had some of the white smoke shifting out of them while some were open and letting out conversations. A few people with canes and crutches walked past them with other nurses and aides with a friendly nod.

As the nurse pushed her along, Hitomi began to hear the cries of discomfort coming from inside some of the doors where the white smoke was coming out and she wondered how many people Shina had caused suffering for. She stopped herself from crying. _We tried to prevent it…but we couldn't……All we can do now…is rebuild again…_

"Such a sad scene…" The nurse commented from behind her. "Those bastards had the nerve to say that they didn't mean anything by it! That they were just 'following orders'! How dare they…!" Her angered tone was quickly gone as she tried to forget those Yoshidarian soldiers who they were treating within their walls. "I'm sorry, milady…Where would you like to go first?"

Hitomi's body swayed back and forth in the chair as the nurse pushed her, growing more increasingly aware of large amount of destruction. Her head hurt, her stomach was upset and her arms were itching under all the heavy white bandages. Her wrist had its own separate little cast around it and was also itchy. But she had to know that at least one person was okay. "L—Lord Van…please…" She whispered back. The pendant around her neck did not glow. It just hung around her neck.

Waiting.

"Y—Yes. Of course." The nurse reluctantly wheeled Hitomi towards the section of the medicinal area were the more serious patients were kept. She wished that she would of said one of the other three—because their condition was improving—but, seeing as Hitomi was not going to change her mind, the nurse brought her to Lord Van's room.

The door was large with two little windows near the top. Hitomi noticed that there was a lot of smoke coming out of the gap at the bottom of his door. In fact, all of the doors had a lot of smoke drifting out of them. She noticed that the air smelled sweet…like flowers, but different…She felt tired again. _Oh…please…hurry up and show me…_

Coming around to face her, the nurse helped Hitomi up and letting her lean on her for support. "Look through these windows…They can't let you in, or else, you'd fall asleep again…" She brought her right in front of the windows and although the white smoke was making it harder for her to focus and see what was in the room, Hitomi's heart broke at what she could see.

He was lying down, sleeping—  
**_Hewon't wake up  
_**—on a cot in the middle of the room in a pair of white knee-length shorts. White smoke surrounded him completely. He was very still.

Too still.

Van was wrapped almost head to toe in white bandages. There were bloodied bandages wrapped around his eyes, the back of his head, and around his shoulder. His mouth was kept shut by black metal rods and his right arm was in a sling. His ankle was bandaged as well and there was a wrap of cloth hugging at his midsection over his ribs. Each breath he took looked pained, even though he was asleep.

There was blood everywhere. On the floor, soaking in his bandages…"The doctors had finally finished with his wounds a day ago. He's been unconscious ever since he got here. His majesty had gotten himself into quite a fight…"

Hitomi felt her stomach curl as she tried to stay upright. She let out a groan and tried to take deep breaths. _Oh Van…Van, what happened to you? I'm sorry…I'm so sorry… _Still staring at Van, she noticed how much he was hurt. He looked so pale…so cold...so thin…so fragile with all the white bandages and casts placed on his body. The bones that were not broken protruded out of his skin sickly and the amount of blood……She didn't want to think about it anymore.

"Milady? Do you wish to go back to bed?" The nurse asked, trying to shake her out of her staring. Hitomi nodded slowly and let the woman sit her down again. Hitomi did not speak a word after seeing Van and the nurse had to be content with the sounds of the metal wheels rolling along the pavement. _It hurts my heart to see everyone more or less like that…_The nurse had seen soldiers who were in Lord Van's condition before and worse; some had made it…

But most had died.

The war from Zaibach had its share of fatalities and she was no stranger to heartbreak and suffering. But there was something about that king that made her especially sadden by his injuries. _He will face a tough road ahead if he lives…_

The white smoke was starting to get to Hitomi again. She felt dizzy and tired…very light-headed; as if she was floating. _Oh God…Oh God…_Her heart hurt so much. She just wanted to cry until she couldn't do it anymore. _He's hurt so badly…_She paused as her mind forced her to conclude something that her heart did not want to believe…_He might not make it…Van might die…_

She was barely aware when the nurse had made it back to her room again and began to lay her down again on her cot. Everything was going by too fast for any part of her body to keep up with. _No…no…it's not supposed to be this way at all…_And before she could stop it, Hitomi began to cry. _No…God, please…it can't be this way…_

"Are you in pain, milady?" The nurse asked her, noticing her tears and discomfort. Hitomi did not answer her and continued to sob. Looking on with sympathetic eyes, the nurse understood. She stood by Hitomi's bed for a little while before leaving her to get her some sleeping medicine. _Such grief…Such grief for one woman to handle…_

Her body shook with sobs. No coherent thoughts passed through her head as the shock of the situation was finally settling in. Many people had died. Many people hang in the balance. There was suffering everywhere. _Merle…Millerna…Allen…The soldiers…Chid……Van…_

Just because Shina wanted it…

Just because they couldn't figure it out fast enough…

The tears continued to roll down her cheeks and the pain in her soul intensified. As she sobbed, she smelled something sweet in the air again. Hitomi turned her head to the side to try and tell the nurse that she didn't want to sleep, that she just wanted to cry,but she couldn't make the words. Her eyelids drifted shut in between a sob but did not reopen.

Under her closed eyelids as tears stopped escaping…

The pendant was there with millions of red feathers.

And then, she drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

Wow. Sorry for the filler chapter…Hope you enjoyed it anyway! The next chapter will be a sad one…or a good one…whichever way you look at it.

Basically, Shina's pure evil and she just wants to corrupt everything. :D Random little realization for Hitomi in that middle sequence; kinda trying to tie in all that stuff I remember from english ingrade 10 aboutthe evil inhuman nature...ANYWAY, I hope all of my descriptions were good…blah. I really hope that I captured sadness as the mood.

Exams are coming up and yeah, I need to study for them. However, the summer is coming quickly! HURRAY FOR FREE TIME!

PLEASE REVIEW! I'll love you forever!


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything. Escaflowne, and all its goodness, belongs to some guy or company that I don't actually know the name of…

**To all who reviewed: **WAH! Thank you! I see I have a few new followers! Woah! I'm so happy you all commented! It makes me giddy on the inside. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! If I had more time, I would write out a personal response to every chapter reviewer…but, exams! WAH!

**Chapter Twenty Seven **

He was there. It was dark. And in front of him was a very dark pendant.

It wasn't black.

But it was close enough.

He felt like he was falling, but he was perfectly still. And all he could do was stare at the pendant in front of him. But, he wasn't really staring. It was as if his eyes could not look in any other direction. Nothing felt right in this place.

He just watched it.

Waiting.

_Open your eyes, Van._

Van tried to move his body to the direction of where the sound was coming from, but he couldn't. The noise was out of place as it had been silent for a long time. _Who's there?_

_Look at me._

In an instant, he recognized who was speaking. _No! Go away!_

_Look at me!_

He saw two bright blue orbs in front of him and he backed away. No matter how much pressure he used to squeeze his eyes shut, he still saw them. It wasn't too long before he felt the invisible bonds to appear and hold him down. The blue eyes looked at him.

Waiting.

_No! Don't! Stop! _The world around him spun, as the eyes and the pendant got closer to him. Everything began to shift and Van got very dizzy. His head began to hurt. Along with every other part of his body. _No! Please! _He tried to push up against the bonds that Shina had made, but it only made the pain increase.

He wanted to get out; he didn't want to be Shina's puppet. _She's g—going to kill m—me…Stop it! _The pendant was continuously getting darker as the bonds became stronger and the eyes became brighter.

_Look at me!_

The pain intensified to an intolerable level. Every single nerve in his body registered pain back to his brain. _S—Shina…STOP!_

_Open your eyes, Van._

He screamed.

* * *

"Why isn't there any of that white smoke anymore?" Hitomi peered into Van's room for the second time in two days. He didn't look any better since the first time she saw him, but she figured that if the sleep-inducing haze was being lifted, it had to mean that they were going to wake him up. It was something good.

"Everyone has to get up sometime, my dear." Her nurse, who Hitomi later came to realize, was named Matsushita, responded solemnly. "They can not keep him sleeping forever. That smoke has its own share of side effects too. If you're under it too long without any breaks your muscles become too weak and fatigued to move…

"Your digestive track falls asleep and loses function; with a locked jaw, vomiting is not in his best interest…And, if you're under it long enough, your brain does not get sufficient oxygen and that stops functioning all together…"

"Oh…" Hitomi nodded, keeping her eye on Van. Her arms were still bandaged and were itchy and her wrist was still in its cast. Although she was in some pain, she knew it was nothing compared to others she had seen…Like Millerna…and Allen…and Merle…She watched more of the nurses and doctors begin to cloud around him. Waiting. _What are they doing? What are they waiting for?_

It was a few minutes until all the white smoke was channeled out of the room. Everyone put their hands on his body, palm down, to keep his sleeping form still. They also fastened black straps of material around his body. _Why are they restraining—?_

Hitomi's eyes opened in shock and let a loud gasp. As if on cue, Van's body surged upwards against the hands and the straps trying to hold him down. It was so sudden and unexpected to her, yet everyone else was prepared for it. _W—What? _His body shook and twisted from underneath all of his restraints and his mouth, unable to produce sound because it was locked shut, was partially opened to show that he was screaming.

In pain.

In silence.

_Oh Van…Van! _Hitomi could not take her eyes off him. It made her sick to see him like that, but at least he was awake. Once he was awake, he could get better… _But he doesn't know that he is awake…He can't see…he can't communicate…he can't really touch anything…he can't interact with his environment…_

She watched nervously as Van's body continued to twitch and spasm. He shook the entire cot such that even more people had to come over. One doctor was talking, or shouting into his ear, but Hitomi figured that he wasn't paying attention. _The pain is too much for him…He's under too much stress! You're going to kill him like this! He'll go into shock! Stop it!_

"Stop it! STOP IT!" Hitomi screamed and pounded on the door, even though her wrist and arms did not allow much movement. Matsushita pulled her away from the little viewing window, but Hitomi just yelled louder and tried to tell the doctors to let Van go back to sleep again. The way his body contorted to the pain he felt was making her stomach twist and her eyes tear up. "No! NO! Let him sleep! You're killing him!"

"Milady! Come now! They know what they are doing!" Matsushita managed to get Hitomi back into her mobile seat and pushed on her shoulders from the front. "His majesty needs to wake up!"

"He doesn't know that he's awake! He's in pain! Can't you—Can't you do something to help him?" Hitomi began to choke on her sobs. Although she couldn't see Van anymore, the image kept replaying in her mind. The way his back arched painfully…The way his ribs showed on his skin…The way his legs tried to bend…The way new blood seeped into the white bandages…_Oh God…Oh God…He's opening his wounds again!_

"We have the best medicinal area on the west side. They need to make him calm down. It's just the initial stress…" Matsushita explained to the frantic Hitomi.

"It's not working! He's killing himself! He's confused and doesn't know where he is! He doesn't know the voices he's hearing! Make them stop!" Hitomi yelled back at her, fighting the hands that kept her in her seat. "No! Let me go! I need to tell them!"

Before Hitomi could protest anymore, she felt something warm against her chest. _T—The pendant…_Looking down, she saw it. Shining—  
**_Glowing  
_**—lightly around her neck. Noticing the glowing gem as well, Matsushita gave Hitomi a confused look. "What, it glows too? What kind of trinket do you have there?"

Hitomi did not answer her and kept staring at the pendant. _It's glowing…Why? Why hasn't it glowed before this? Is it Van's consciousness affecting it? If he's conscious, I have to contact him!_

Taking a deep breath in, Hitomi pushed her tired powers into the pendant and tried to reach Van. It was a long shot, she knew, but right now, it was her only idea. _Van…Van! I need you to calm down…_She shut her eyes and exhaled a shaky breath and waited until they connected again.

The pendant turned a slightly darker colour as Hitomi pushed its powers. _Please…Van…Calm down…_As she sat there, she felt something. _I need you to calm down…You are in a hospital…The people are trying to help you…Please, Van!_

Matsushita watched her patient somewhat fall into a light sleep. "What are you doing girl? What kind of black magic are you performing?"

Hitomi felt herself in a weightless void. It was something that she had never felt before when they used to communicate; it felt less welcoming and more frightening. She floated around for a while, repeating her message she hoped reached him. _Calm down…You are in a safe place, Van…It's me, Hitomi…Please, I need you do calm down…_

Matsushita stood up and backed away from Hitomi's mobile chair, afraid of her. _What is she doing with that thing? _Spinning around, she saw the scene from inside his majesty's room. Doctors were getting frustrated with Van's lack of realization that he was awake. She knew that soon, they would put him back to sleep again.

And try again tomorrow.

No matter how hard Hitomi tried to concentrate, Van's body did not stop from convulsing. _Please Van! Calm down! _Her brows knit in frustration. He wasn't listening to her. There was something blocking her call to him. _Van! Please relax! _It was something that she couldn't identify but it was very familiar. _It feels so…  
**Cold**  
…dark…What is going on? Van! PLEASE! You need to calm down!_

The pendant's light got brighter as it tried to reach him. Hitomi could hear the struggle going on in his room and her desperation to help him increase.

But it seemed like it couldn't.

Van continued to push up dangerously against the hands in extreme pain. _Please! P—Please, calm down! _Hitomi felt her energy weaken. _Even though she's gone…she still haunts him…_

"Milady! Stop this nonsense now!" Matsushita shouted at her. Hitomi's eyes suddenly opened and the pendant stopped. _I can't reach him…_

The doctors in Van's room had decided to go to the next course of action. It was taking too long. He wasn't fully awake; if they kept this up, he would die from the stress. Since he wasn't responding to them, they grabbed another herb, crushed it and burned it to make another sleeping remedy. "Quickly! Quickly!" The head doctor cried as they held him.

The smoke was starting to rise—this time it was blue in colour—and they forced him to inhale it which would put him in another pain-free sleep. The sleep would not be as long as the first, but it would be enough time for him to calm down and for the doctors to regroup. Van's body began to slow and his movements became more languid as the blue smoke made the pain stop and drowsiness set in.

The doctors knew that if Lord Van did not respond to them soon and wake up, treatment could not begin and his life would be lost. They waited until Van's body stopped moving completely before they began to file out of the room. The doctors were unhappy that they were unsuccessful at bringing the King of Fanelia back to reality; but, tomorrow was another day to try.

Hitomi blinked tiredly. "I want to go back to my room now." She stated slowly. Her nurse, taking one last look and the under-control body Van Fanel, nodded and quickly brought Hitomi back to her room.

"Maybe later, we can visit your other friends, hmm?" Matsushita offered, trying to be cheerful to her patient. _I wish she did not have to witness that…_

Hitomi blinked again but did not answer her. She was tired, usually so, and all she wanted was to sleep again. _There was something wrong in that place where Van was…his subconscious was not like it used to be…Dark…Very dark…_She had heard the voice of the creature in his head and it chilled her to the bone. _Oh…Van…

* * *

_

"This is the worst birthday ever!" Merle shouted unhappily from her cot. "Here I am, expecting cake and my favourite foods and all I'm getting is water and soup broth! I don't even like soup! Especially this kind! I tell them I want fish and they give me...they give me….Oh! I don't even know what it is! But I don't like it!"

Hitomi had to laugh. She had to. It seemed that one of her friends was completely back to her old self. Merle was on a strict all-liquid diet since she had not eaten for most of the time she was a prisoner. The doctors explained that eating solid food too quickly after having none at all would make her vomit and not get any nutrients out of it anyway. She had to start off slow and gradually make her way back to her regular eating habits.

"Hitomi! Don't you DARE start laughing at me! This is not a laughing matter! Stop it!" Merle cried from her cot, glaring at her. "This is not funny. I'm supposed to be treated like a birthday girl! Not a sick person!"

"M—Merle!" Hitomi tried to control her laughter. "Come on, you aren't the best in health. You know that. You're just supposed to take it easy."

"Last time I checked, 'taking it easy' didn't mean to stop eating cake! It's my birthday, for goodness sake!" She cried. From all the noise, a nurse had come in to check on her.

"Milady…What is all the ruckus?" A man's voice questioned. When Hitomi looked up, she noticed that her friend's nurse was a tall, good-looking male with dark brown eyes, brown hair and pale skin.

"Stop calling me, 'milady'! I have a name, you—!" Merle began to shout, turning her anger on him.

"—Sorry, sorry." He apologized, smiling. "Merle, what's the matter?"

"This food!"

"Well, you know that I can't change that."

"Just because I know that doesn't mean that I can't complain about it! Gods! You Toganians are so…so…AH! You see? I have no energy to think of a good name for you people!"

The nurse rolled his eyes at her. "You could put that mouth of yours to rest, you know. Some other patients are trying to get some sleep. You're so loud."

"Excuse me?" Merle's eye twitched. Hitomi began to laugh again. "Did you—? Did you just tell me, politely, to shut up?"

The nurse grinned broadly. "If you have the right to complain about me as a person and my abilities, I can at least complain about your mouth and its abilities." Checking to make sure that her other injuries were under control, he left, before Merle could retort.

"That—That—! Can you believe that? How could he just—? I mean, he—!" Merle growled in frustration. "I HATE him, so much."

"You don't mean that."

"Oh, yes I do. Trust me." Merle scoffed, folding her arms carefully across her chest. Her shoulders were still sore and her body, overall, was achy. But it was manageable.

And not as bad as the others.

"He's doing a good job, isn't he?"

"Yeah…so? He doesn't have to be a jerk about it. Stupid Kiyoshi…I hate him."

Hitomi smiled, but decided against telling Merle that her nurse liked her. _She would have a fit if I said that. Even if it is a joke…_ "What the heck are you smiling at?"

"Nothing, Merle. Just relax. You're giving me a headache."

"Oh! You too now? What is this?" Merle sank back in her cot, smiling. There was a pause as the laughter died down. Becoming as serious as she could get, Merle turned to Hitomi. "Do you know how the others are doing?"

Meeting her eyes, Hitomi responded quickly. "I haven't seen Allen or Millerna…or Chid…and whoever else is in here. Matsushita thinks that you guys are the only ones that I know and she doesn't know where the others are. Well, she knows where Allen and Millerna are, but she says that I can't go and see them."

Merle nodded slowly. "They haven't found Yuki yet."

Hitomi's heart was squeezed tightly as Merle continued. "Millerna and Allen are together in another room because they're classified under another category. Millerna's suffering from a depression because of Yuki's absence…I forget what Kiyoshi called it when I asked him."

"That's why Matsushita won't let me see them…"

"Yeah, they're more of the mentally and emotionally wounded patients…I think they're two floors up." Merle stopped for a second to take in a shaky breath. "I hope they're okay…I haven't been allowed out of my room but I know that they're devastated…Millerna especially. I can feel it; they're always crying…"

Green eyes looked down at Merle's cot and stared at her bony legs. Her fur was growing back and it wouldn't be long until the meat on her legs returned too. It wasn't a second later that tears filled her eyes again. _Dammit…Why did this have to happen for?_

"Hitomi?" Merle called out hesitantly. Reaching over, she placed a furry paw on her hands and gave her the best smile she could muster at the moment. "We're all going to be fine."

Before Hitomi could answer her, Kiyoshi came back into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but Merle you have to take your medicine again."

"Again? But I just took it a few hours ago when Hitomi first came in!"

"Yeah…and now, you have to take it again." Her nurse grinned. "I'm sure that you're familiar with the idea of taking medicine on a rotating time frame, right? You know, like, once every three hours?"

"Bite me." Merle's eye twitched again.

"I would, but that wouldn't be very hygienic. I mean, I don't know where you've been."

"For someone who works in a hospital, you sure know how make someone feel good." Sarcastic Merle was back and she was taking her shots on Kiyoshi again. The mood changed abruptly and Hitomi wiped out her tears.

"I guess I better go." Hitomi pushed back on the floor with her feet to roll her wheelchair back. Matsushita, who was talking to another doctor a few feet away, saw this and came to Hitomi's side. "Time to leave?"

"Yes." Hitomi nodded. "I'll come back Merle."

"You better." Merle threatened. Turning back to Kiyoshi, Hitomi only heard the next few lines of their battles of wit. "You don't know where I've been, do you? Well, I'll tell you something, mister, I'm probably a lot cleaner than you!"

"Merle, even if I was to bite you, my teeth would go right through your skinny arms."

"Well, why don't you feed me more food then, wise guy? I've had it up to here with you and your…."

Once the conversation of Merle and Kiyoshi was no longer reached by their ears, Hitomi piped up. "Matsushita…? Can we…?"

Her nurse sighed. "If you wish."

"B—But…I want to go inside. I want to _see _him." Hitomi pressed. She had been trying to persuade her nurse into letting her go inside Van's room for the past few days but she refused; only letting her stay outside the doors when the doctors tried to wake him.

"Milady, you know I can't do that."

Hitomi turned to face her as she wheeled her around towards the hallway of Van's room. "If I'm in that room, I _can _make him wake up. He doesn't know anyone…If he hears a familiar voice, he'll listen to it!"

Matsushita sighed at her patient's logic. "The voices of the doctors are getting mighty familiar to him…This will be the fourth attempt at waking him."

"No…No, not like that. I mean a voice that he can distinguish…That he has a name for. Please, I need to be there with him." Hitomi pleaded, desperate. She had no idea if her idea would actually work, but she usually made good assumptions.

Her only response was a loud sigh from Matsushita. She did not say anything as they rolled along and when they finally reached his room, Matsushita helped her up and brought her close to the door. "Can you stand alone, milady?"

Testing her balance by letting go of Matsushita's arms, Hitomi nodded. "I think so…" _It feels like it's been so long since I've stood or walked on my own…_

"Good." And with that, her nurse left her at Van's door. Hitomi looked around, confused. "Matsushita! Where are you—?" She began to ask in a hushed voice, but before she could finish, she realized what her nurse had done. "Thank you…"

Slowly pushing open the doors to Van's room, Hitomi walked in and immediately, all the eyes of the doctors and nurses were on her. "Excuse me, but what are you doing here?" One asked, angrily. They had just fanned out all the blue smoke and were preparing for their fourth attempt; they did not have the time to stop for interruptions.

"You are not allowed to be in here. No visitors for his majesty, Lord Van." Another retorted, coming towards her.

"I'm here to help…" Hitomi responded in a small voice. She walked in, using various objects in the room to support her weight as she moved. Three women, each a different species of animal, came near her to escort her out. "No…please…I can wake him. He knows my voice…"

The nurses paused, looking back at the doctors. The oldest one, the head doctor, shook his head. "Let her stay here. Milady, do not get in our way…Do not interfere, understand?"

"Yes…May I talk to him?" Hitomi nodded, fully aware that she was not welcome. The doctor who had spoken to her frowned but nodded anyway. Feeling hope rise into her heart, the pendant began to glow again. _Van…I'm here…I will be here when you wake up…  
_

Van could feel it.

He was in that weird place again.

He knew that every time he felt this place, his entire body would flare up with pain. To him, it was understandable to hate this place and wish to be brought back to wherever he was before.

But this time, it was different.

There was something else there.

_Who's there? _Van called out, trying to move around. Of course, he couldn't do that; just like all the other times he had been here. A different voice answered him this time, however.

_Van…I need you to be calm…_

_Why? _Trying his best to find the source of the extremely familiar voice, Van moved his head from side to side. That's when the pain returned. It started in his eyes, and then moved down to his jaw, ribcage and arms. His body buckled under the burning sensations and the aches the pain was delivering to him.

An anguished cry escaped his lips, but he did not hear it. He heard something else. He heard a lot of different voices yelling and screaming instead. _Please! Stop it! Stop this!_

_Van…I need you to stay as calm as you can…_

_Who are you? What do you want? _Van could not place the voice. There was too much going on.

_You're in the hospital…You're safe…You need to wake up…_

The feeling of a thousand blades being dragged everywhere on his body hit him hard. _STOP! STOP IT! _He tried to shut his eyes tighter to not feel Shina's effects, but it made even more pain.

_Please, Van…I need you to relax…Deep breaths…_

He saw the pendant, glowing with a nice pink hue appear out of nowhere are hover in front of him. …_H—Hitomi? _The weird place began to feel weirder.

Because feeling was the only thing he could go by.

The voices were still yelling at him; he did not understand what they were saying. But there was that one voice…That one voice that he could understand perfectly. He did not know what was happening or why…The pain was intense. Incoherent sounds echoed around him. There was something trying to keep him in place. It scared him. He did not understand.

But that one voice…

He listened.

* * *

WAYOH.

Hope you all liked it!

My exams are finally over! They went well (hopefully) and I'm so glad that summer's here. :D

**Authoress' Note: **Wow. I just realized that Millerna and Dryden should have gotten married this entire time (don't laugh; I haven't watched the series since last year)…In fact, Dryden hasn't even been IN my story…neither has Celena……OH NO. Major inconsistencies with the show! I wanna keep this story as close as I can to the original so that it follows like a real sequel. What should I do guys? Should I leave it? Or, go back and change things. I could make it that Dryden AND Millerna get married and that Allen is the godfather of Yuki or something…It would keep everything together…

I need input. I want to make it as close as the series as possible…Should I go back and change it? Write your input in your review please! I'd really appreciate it. I know that they (Allen, Millerna, Dryden etc.) don't really have much of an impact in the story, but, I want to make it as realistic as possible.

PLEASE REVIEW


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

**Disclaimer: **Sweet Jesus, if I really owned anything, this story would be on television!

**To all who reviewed: **ZOMG! I LOVE YOU ALL! Storm-Maker, jeeze, I thought I lost you! It was good to hear from you again! And to all of those who just hopped on the bandwagon: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Even though Van had 'awoken', he still did not understand what was going on until the next day. The doctors had explained everything to him close to his ear so he would be sure to hear it. They had went through with him what his injuries were: broken jaw and ankle, dislocated right shoulder, three cracked ribs, a deep cut on the top of his head, two broken fingers and thirteen other gashes that needed stitches.

There was the worry of infection of the larger wounds…

But the only injury that they truly were concerned about was his eye.

They had told him that they had seen some damage done to the cornea and that they tried hard to repair it, but they did not know if they had fixed it enough to ensure proper vision in the left eye. The bandages were wrapped around both of his eyes because using the one good eye would cause the injured eye to move as well. That eye had to be kept as still as possible so that the stitches could heal.

On the first few attempts of waking him, Van had tightly squeezed his eyes shut in pain, disrupting the stitches and the doctors had to redo them. Now that he was aware of it, he promised with a nod of his head to not squint or open his eyes again.

Even if Shina told him too.

The doctors had ushered Hitomi aside and told her that even though Lord Van was awake, there was still a chance that he would die. He had lost a lot of blood and Hitomi figured that although Gaea had its own share of advanced medical practices—like Intravenous—they did not know about blood transfusions or blood types yet. All they could do was wait and see if he could build up his own strength again with the help of other medicines.

So there she was, sitting by his bed again, holding his left hand with both of hers. Van could not speak to her, or see her to acknowledge her presence, but she could tell that he knew she was there. The apparatus holding his jaw together would be coming off later that day but for now, Van was forced into silence. She watched the steady stream of IV fluid go into his arm to feed him and she opened against odds that Van was getting stronger.

He looked pale and weak from the absence of blood…His bones stuck out too much because he could not eat anything…His breathing was laboured and any movement from his body ended up shaky…And his hand was very cold.

No matter how hard she tried to squeeze it, or how many times she rubbed it, it remained cold.

Hitomi sighed. It had been a long day in the silence. She was curious as to how Van was working with no sight or communication, but she was also scared. _He might not be able to see out of his left eye at the end of all this…If everything else goes right, he could still lose something…Oh…Van…_

She looked at his bandaged face and all the swelling. The gash on his skull forced the doctors to repair the split skin with what looked like medical staples; most of his head was wrapped in bandages. His cheek was puffy, his shoulder swollen and his ankle still slightly twisted even in the cast. _He might have a limp too…_

There was a knock on the door. Hitomi jumped at the sudden noise and almost cried out in surprise. Matsushita walked in. "Milady? It's time to go back to your room now."

Looking at Van once more, Hitomi stood up by herself and started to walk back to the entrance. But, she was pulled back by a yank on her arm.

Van had reached out and grabbed onto her with his left hand. His whole body shook from that movement, but he held on. He turned his neck towards her and tiredly tried to pull her back into her seat. "Your majesty, she needs to go." Matsushita called from the door.

Instead of letting go, Van felt along Hitomi's arm until his met with her hand. Forcing it open, with her palm facing him, he began to spell out symbols into it. Hitomi looked on, slightly puzzled but tried to understand what he was trying to say. _It's their sign language… _After six symbols, she realized that he was repeating the message, but she still could not understand. She could only guess what the symbols where and when she tried to string together a phrase with her guess, it didn't make sense. _What do they mean? _"Matsushita! Come quick! What is he saying?"

Van continued to press the symbols harder into her palm, trying to make her understand but it wasn't until Matsushita came that Hitomi got the message. "My dear, that is a military tactic. When soldiers are in enemy territory and they cannot speak for fear of being detected, they speak in symbols. A sign language. It's different for each country…"

"Yes…Do you know it?"

"Well, I do know Togane's sign language…but I think these two are similar. Okay, Lord Van. Start the message again."

He snorted from impatience but he started again, making each symbol stay on Hitomi's hand for a few seconds. When he was finished, he turned his neck back to where it was before, tired. His left arm flopped limply to his side in exhaustion.

Hitomi waited, and Matsushita finally cracked it. "I think he wrote, 'Don't go.'" She sighed. "Your majesty, she will be back. She needs to rest too."

Van did not make any indication that he was listening. "Besides, your doctors are going to remove that jaw-holder you have there so you can talk. She can't be in the room for that." Slowly turning, Matsushita led Hitomi outside Van's room. With one last look at him, Hitomi saw that he was just the same as she came in.

And that worried her.

The only movement he had done since she was in that room was just a few minutes ago. The way he had grabbed her arm…He wanted her to stay so badly; but why? He knew that she would be returning tomorrow, as soon as the doctors would let her. She did so yesterday…It was as if his life depended on it…

Hitomi vowed to never use that phrase again.

Looking out the window at the end of the hall, Hitomi commented on how dark it had become. "I never knew it was that late."

"That is why you must sleep. You've been in that room all day today AND yesterday. Your friend, Merle, was asking for you."

_Oh no…_Hitomi had forgotten that she was supposed to visit Merle again. _She's going to make a big fuss about it…Oh, well…_ "Can I go check on her?"

The nurse shook her head. "Too late, I'm afraid. Merle gets cranky when she doesn't sleep for nine hours." Walking slowly on wobbly legs, Hitomi made it to her room again. She was glad that she didn't have to use the wheelchair anymore; they weren't given her any strong medicine for pain and such, so she could walk around again. She wasn't entirely used to it, but she was getting there. Slowly, but surely.

She lay down on her cot, stomach up, and folded her arms carefully across her chest. Her cast remained but the thick bandages were off; now, only a comfortable wrap was used to protect the wounds she had. Shina's nails had dug almost all the way through her arms. But the doctors had repaired her arms and now, all she had were weird stitches to show. She too had lost blood, but she had rebuilt her strength; Hitomi questioned the pendant.

"Good night." Matsushita called out, before blowing out a few of the candles and turning down some of the oil lanterns. She went to another place in the room, to tend to another man who had woken up, asking for something.

Hitomi shut her eyes and waited to sleep to come, but all she could think about was everyone in the hospital.

And how everyone still had a chance of death. How everyone was so close of falling asleep and never waking up again.

Including her.

* * *

Hitomi found herself in his room again. She was sitting down on the chair beside him, like she always did, but the room was completely dark, only letting in enough light to let her see Van easily. There was also something else in the background too…A huge shadow of a beast that she was familiar with. _Escaflowne…_

She noticed that it too shared Van's physical aliments; its metal ankle was twisted awkwardly…Its giant right arm was hanging by a few metal tubes from its socket…The cockpit, where Van would sit and see outside, was smashed in on the left side…_They're exactly the same…_Hitomi was staring at Escaflowne for the longest time, waiting.

She was seeing a replay of when Van and Shina had started battling before she arrived in Escaflowne's shadow. Hitomi watched Shina take control of the fight and give Van many of his injuries and noticed that at the same second Van dislocated his shoulder, Escaflowne did too. _They're still connected…After all these years…_

It was when white feathers began to fall into her line of vision that she looked back at Van. Instead of sleeping as he usually did, he was changing. _W—What?_

His skin began to peel away. It was pulled tightly, stretching, until it ripped to expose his internal muscles. Those also began to rot and deteriorate along with his organs. And Hitomi keep watching, horror-struck, unable to make a sound. It had been so gruesome, but she could not look away as his metamorphosis occurred.

Amongst everything that she was seeing, Hitomi strangely noted that there was no blood. Van was not bleeding at all. His physical body was just…disappearing.

However, Escaflowne had stayed the same. None of its outer-shell disappeared. _Why isn't it the same now? What is going on? _Blood pumped loudly in her ears. _Oh…Oh, God!_

Van continued to peel away, leaving only his skeleton with pieces of his decayed flesh on parts of his bones. She had finally snapped out of her staring and tried to run away from him. She didn't want to watch it anymore…She couldn't take it…She didn't want to stand there and watch him die.  
_**Leave  
**_Before she could look away, before she could scream out, she felt a bony hand wrap tightly around her wrist in a vice-like grip.  
**_Cold_**  
She couldn't pull loose from Van's bones. She struggled against him, tugging frantically, but his skeleton held on and stared to rise in his cot. She had looked up to stare at his empty sockets…

There were two dark pink lights glowing in the centre of them. Her eyes were wide with fear and anxiety. _The pendant!…But, why?_

Slowly, she watched Van's other hand—the arm was still dislocated from its socket, only attached by a few stray ligaments—and it began to spell out symbols, each bone in the fingers creaking and cracking after every letter he showed her.

She recognized what he was spelling.

'Don't go.'  
_**You belong on Gaea  
**_And even though it was just his skeleton, she thought he was smiling at her.

Escaflowne stood grimly in the background, watching both of them. _No! No! Van! Let me go! Please! _The room begin to spin around her. _Oh no…_She got dizzy. She felt the ground crumbled under her feet.

The grip tightened. _He doesn't want me to fall…?_

Suddenly, as Hitomi averted her eyes towards his mechanical dragon again, it collapsed into its parts. As if whatever glue had been holding it together as Van changed, had finally broke and let the beast fall into a heap of scrap metal. _What? No! Escaflowne! Why did it collapse now? What will happen to Van—?_

Then, Van's skeleton did the same. All his bones disconnected from one another and fell into a heap as well. Her heart pumped wildly and louder. _Oh God…VAN! _Although the skeletal hand was still attached to her wrist, there was nothing left to keep her from dropping into the darkness again.

She fell. But she did not make a sound.  
**_And there was no angel to save her_**

She awoke with a cold sweat, gasping for air. _Es—Escaflowne…

* * *

_

They had agreed with Kiyoshi to let Merle out of her room for half an hour; the only catch was that he had to come with them. Although Merle had complained, Kiyoshi would not let up and finally, they had left Merle's room…all three of them.

"I want to go see Lord Van." Merle chided from her seat in the wheelchair. Kiyoshi pushed her along, with a smirk on his face. Although Hitomi kept quiet, after last night's vision, she did not want to step into that room again. _What if he falls apart…?_

"What makes you think he'll want to see you?"

Merle turned around in her seat. "You can cram it up your as—!"

"Merle!" Hitomi scolded.

"Why do you yell at me? He's the one that said the insult!"

"Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Yeah, Merle." Kiyoshi added. "But hey, three rights make a left. Which reminds me, to get to Lord Van's room we have to make a left over here…"

Turning, the three of them only had to walk a few more minutes before they got to Van's room. As Hitomi opened the door slowly, Merle peered in, saddened at what she saw. "Oh…Van…" She mumbled quietly. _He looks so sick…_

Van's head turned towards the door, hearing it open. "W—Who's there?" His voice cracked; it seemed weird to hear his own voice again. He reached out an arm and moved it around, hoping to hit whoever had walked in to get identification. It didn't last long; his arm soon tired out. "W—Who's th—there?" His voice failed him soon too. _Why can't I…? E—Everything tires me…_

"Van…It's me, Hitomi…and—"

"—and Merle!" The feline happily interjected, hiding all trace of sadness in her voice. "Lord Van! I'm so happy to see you!"

"What's this? Don't _I _get an introduction?" Kiyoshi mumbled.

Putting a finger to her lips, Merle hushed him. "Bring me to his bed." Without another word, her nurse pushed her there and she immediately grabbed his left hand with her furry paws. "See, Lord Van? It's me!"

Van felt her fur on his fingertips. _Merle…_ It felt different than how he remembered…and it was much shorter and coarser. "Y—Your fur…" He mumbled tiredly. "D—Doesn't…feel…" Van couldn't continue speaking and instead used the sign language he was taught in front of her eyes. Quickly, he made his fingers say what his mouth was too tired to say, 'the same.' They shook after every symbol.

"Oh! That's because it's growing in again." Merle answered quickly, not wanting to go into the subject and make Van more depressed.

Hitomi noticed how white Van's skin looked and how dry and cracked it was. Had he gotten any better? The doctors had said that the healing process for his shoulder, ankle and other gashes were taking longer than expected…a lot longer than expected. She knew that the doctors were trying hard with different medicines, but she knew that if he was on Earth, he would be fine…he would have all the blood he needed…and the only thing he would worry about was his eye.

But then again…on Earth, Escaflowne would be too far away to repair.

It hurt her to watch him struggle to take in a breath. _I have to act now…There's only so much the doctors can do without repairing his guymelf. _

Van tried to smile as Merle continued to rant about Kiyoshi and what a mean nurse he was. He tried…but he was too tired and not in a smiling mood. He didn't like being in the dark. He didn't like the fact that each one of his friends was in here because of him. He didn't like the fact that he was not near Escaflowne.

His mouth opened and closed slowly, trying to speak, but there wasn't enough energy there. Using his arm again, he signed to Merle. 'Don't be so hard on him.'

"See? I told you." Another voice chided; Van figured it was Kiyoshi.

"SHHH! I don't care what you think!" Merle hissed over to him. "Oh, Van…If only you KNEW what a rotten guy he is."

Van's lips finally curved into a smile. 'Isn't he standing in the room?' He signed again. He was getting fatigued, but he pushed it.

"Yeah…and who cares? He doesn't have feelings or anything…" Merle frowned.

"Merle!" Hitomi scolded again, speaking for the first time since she arrived. "That wasn't very nice."

"Yeah. That really hurt." Van heard Kiyoshi laugh a bit afterwards. He smirked again. _Merle has not changed…_But Hitomi's silence since she had first come into the room troubled him. _Hitomi…what are you th—thinking? _Gathering up his strength and breathing in as deeply as he could, he raised his arm in what he hoped was her direction and waved her over. "Hi…Hitomi…"

Her head snapped to attention and suddenly all eyes were on her. Slowly, Hitomi walked over towards him and sat down on the chair. The noise it made as it scratched the floor was the only sound. "Yes Van?"

"What are you thinking?" Van forced the words to come out as clearly as he could and that one sentence was by far the best one he had spoken. But his jaw hurt a bit afterwards. He quickly signed to Hitomi.

Merle noticed and translated for her. "He asked, 'Why are you so quiet?' I mean, come on Hitomi! The man may be temporarily blind, but can still hear! I mean, seriously. Did you know that when one sense is unable to function, the other senses are heightened? So—"

"—Oh Merle, we know…relax."

"Was I talking to you, Kiyoshi?"

She smiled a bit, but her answer was too simple to really cover what she wanted to say. "I'm just thinking, Van…That's all." Hitomi was thinking of a lot of things. She worried for him and she knew that there was one way to make it better.

He was unsatisfied with her answer. Even though he couldn't see it, he could tell that she was not telling him the entire truth. The tension hung in the air; he didn't have to see the room or their expressions…he could feel it.That tension was always there when people visited him. _You sh—should not keep things from me…I know you worry…_"About what?" His voice strained and his words mumbled, but it was still clear.

Hitomi took a deep breath in. "About Escaflowne."

Everyone in the room stopped. Even Kiyoshi, who was very clueless at this point, stopped. Van could feel it again. There was something in the air. _Hitomi knows something…_

Luckily, Merle asked his question. "What about Escaflowne?"

"I have to go back to Fanelia." Hitomi blurted, somewhat changing topics. Immediately, she wished that she hadn't said it. She knew it would be hard, but she had to go…before Van crumbles in front of her.

"What? Why?" Kiyoshi interjected. "It's just a barren waste—Oomph!" Merle had sharply elbowed him in the ribs, telling him not to say another word. _It would kill Lord Van to hear that now…_

"I have to."

"Hitomi, why?" Merle repeated. "It's still dangerous!" _Wait…Escaflowne…_ "Hitomi, you can't do that." The cat had caught on to the plan that Hitomi had and voiced her opinion about it.

"I never said that I can do it. I said that I have to do it." Hitomi mumbled back.

Before another word could be said, the door swung open. An elderly male nurse, with the head of a lion, stepped in, and looked at the three guests. "I believe that visiting hours will be cut short for lunch. Are you hungry, your majesty?"

"No." Came the curt reply.

"Well, if you don't want food, I'll be doing some of your exercises. Now, ladies…gentleman…If you'd be so kind as to exit…" The nurse continued, shooing them out of the room.

The door shut behind them and all three were outside again. "Hitomi…" Merle began after a brief silence.

"I have to go. I will find a way there."

"You are not discharged from the hospital yet, you can't—"

"—I will find a way." Hitomi kept her head down and kept her voice just above a whisper. "It's the only way Van will get better. I know it. And so do you, Merle."

Kiyoshi looked down at Merle expectantly and she nodded. "So, what do we do?"

"If you want to help, you'll keep quiet about this, Kiyoshi." Hitomi gave him a hard glance from under her bangs. "I need a source of transportation. Any ideas?"

"You're serious about this?" Merle spoke quietly, looking up at her from her wheelchair, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Are you sure that it'll work? How do you know that Escaflowne needs to be fixed up? How—?"

Hitomi smiled a little. "I had a dream about it last night. And you know better than anyone that my dreams have never been wrong."

* * *

Wow.

Just so you know, that last bit about Escaflowne and such came to me a few days ago and I figured that it'd be an interesting way to get everything back in order. Instead of Van getting a miracle recovery, I wanted to tie in Escaflowne itself into the mix because, hell, the title's called "Escaflowne II" for a reason!

It was very spontaneous and it has just added another chapter to the ending.

Anyway, sorry for the delay. I went to driving school (25 hours in a stuffy classroom) and right after that I had to go to work. So, I was basically dead tired when I got back home and I couldn't write for four days (that's how long it went on for). Well, that did slow me down, but I don't think that I have anything else planned to get in the way of writing.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. A tad of a filler, but…next chapter will be good…I hope.

PLEASE REVIEW

PS. I am getting a scholarship! It's not the one that I initially wanted, but, hey, it's a scholarship nonetheless, right:D


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

**Disclaimer: **Sweet Jesus, if I really owned anything, this story would be on television!

**To all who reviewed: **I'm really glad everyone liked the random twist with Escaflowne that I added in. Honestly, it was so spontaneous…Ah…Good times…Anyway, thanks for your much needed support! Hope you like the next installment! It is very random…

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

The oldest advisor sat in the carriage, awake, watching the scene as the others had dozed off. Haru watched with sad eyes as the left Fanelia and headed towards Togane. They advisors had come back to review the area, and they did not like what they had seen.

The country was in shambles. The Yoshidarian army had caused more damage than Zaibach. _I'm getting too old for this…_Haru mumbled in thought. _We need to rebuild Fanelia…Most of our able men and women are in different countries now…Who knows if they'll come back…After this…Oh, Van, can you ever forgive me? Your father would be ashamed of my actions…I'm sorry…_

His thoughts wandered over to the condition of his friend, his majesty, King Van. It had been a bloody battle…He could not even stop Merle from her fate. Then again, if he had half of the authority he had before, he would have objected to the whole thing…

But, alas, majority rules.

And there were powers in numbers.

Haru wondered about how he was doing. He knew that Van would not be well; he had seen Escaflowne's state when the other advisors were checking the castle and the streets for any survivors. Somehow, the great guymelf's damages did not look like they were inflicted on it by man…or anything. They looked like they just happened.

A dislocated shoulder…broken ankle…broken fingers…broken ribs…and something with the eyes. Haru had mapped out Van's injuries before they had gotten the documents from the medical office. And he knew that he had to fix Escaflowne before anything had to be done.

Just like before…when the Zaibach War had begun. He began to remember all the texts he had read that dictated Fanelia's king'svictory—along with the other countries that helped, of course—and how all of them always had a section where they described the wonders of Van's guymelf.

Haru sat, rocking slightly whenever the carriage moved over a rock. He sighed. It would take a lot to do what he would be doing. _I am too old for this…_But if he was lucky, he would find who he needed to help. He couldn't ask another advisor to help…They would not believe him; they would dismiss his quarry as another old man's tale. They did not know the things that others knew. He hoped that he would be able to find the one he was looking for… _She knows more than I do…

* * *

_

She was having that dream again.

The pendant was on the ground, in front of her, and she was sitting a few feet away.

The room was cast in darkness. There were no walls…no ceilings…just inky black and blue darkness.

And the pendant.  
_**Lub-Dub  
Lub-Dub  
**It only comes to me when there's something wrong…It only gives me its powers when something's wrong…Van's health is what's wrong…I already know that. _She listened to it as it began to pulse again, but her eyes wandered. She did not want to look at the pendant. She knew what would happen afterwards. Instead, she looked around.

There wasn't much to see in the darkness, but sometimes, she would see the walls form shapes and shadows. They wouldn't look like much to begin with, but it was interesting to look at.

She felt dazed, tired and lightheaded again. Just like before. Regardless, she pushed herself to look at the walls…at the shadows.

Because the first time she had done this, she had found something.

It wasn't something that she liked, though. But it was something. Hitomi had seen Shina's figure before the ground cracked and she hoped that she wouldn't see it again. Not here…and definitely not now.

Still, her eyes carried on with its job: scanning the area. The darkness swished and swirled into itself, making shapes, but nothing concrete that she could identify. _This place…I never looked this hard into it before…I never concentrated on the walls…only the pendant…And Shina…But she's gone now…_

…_There has to be something that I'm missing…This vision wouldn't have come back unless it is trying to tell me something…_ Breaking her thoughts, Hitomi followed a swirl of dark blue merge with a bigger black spot on the wall. Green eyes narrowed slightly to see what exactly it was.

The pendant's pulse was picking up again.

But she paid no attention to it. Her eyes stayed glued to the changing shadow. It morphed into something big…very big…with sharp edges and smooth curves…The pendant's pink light illuminated a large pink gem that stood on the left of the large shadow. _It's…Escalfowne!_

Hitomi gasped in realization as the figure in the shadow stood out more clearly. _Has it been here all this time? _As she was about to stand and walk towards it, the pendant had stopped, leaving her in the dark and unable to see it anymore. She had barely noticed the pendant's increasing pulse in the first place, but soon, she felt the ground crack again and she was falling.

She fell, and even though the vision was predictable, Hitomi felt fear in her heart as the one pair of hands wrapped around her waist. Although it was getting increasingly difficult to concentrate and see, she looked down and saw the skeletal hands.

Van's skeletal hands.

Hitomi's lungs filled with air in a pained manner. _Oh God…Oh God…_The bony grip was too tight, too cold. It squeezed her midsection, clutching to her as they fell.

As if its life depended on it.

Looking back up, before she got too dizzy, she saw Escalfowne's shadow again.

And she watched as it crumbled to a million pieces.

The hands that were around her waist suddenly disappeared. Nothing was holding her up anymore. She thought she saw feathers, but her vision was too dark…

And she fell.

* * *

From another troubled sleep, Hitomi was awakened by Matsushita's gentle rocking. "Milady…Please, wake up! You are trembling!"

Green eyes opened abruptly to view early morning light pouring into the windows. It was a prettier picture than what she was seeing before.

"My dear, are you okay?" Matsushita asked from beside her. "Do you want some water? Or go for a walk? You looked quite shaken up from that dream—  
**_Vision  
_**—you were having…"

"Yes. I want to get up." Hitomi nodded frantically, even though she still needed a few minutes to fully wake up. _I have to see him now! Please, I can't be too late! _Getting up quickly and swaying on her feet for a few seconds, Hitomi began to walk out of the room. Matsushita made a move to assist her on her walk, but Hitomi held up a hand and refused swiftly.

There hadn't been much development on her plan to go back to Fanelia since yesterday; she still had no transportation to get there. And really, that's all she needed. She could find Escaflowne on her own. Merle had wanted to come too, but Hitomi and Kiyoshi had both refused.

Walking as quickly as she could to Van's room, Hitomi did not falter in her steps. She walked smoothly and made it to his room in three minutes. The pendant was pulsing again; it was weak, but fast. She did not question why it was doing that and strode into his room.

To be watched with eight pairs of eyes.

But one pair, she noticed, was staring with different eyes. The older man smiled. _Do my eyes deceive me? What a strange coincidence…and turn of events…_

The second she had stepped foot into Van's room, eight men, all varying in age, were looking at her strangely. _As if they've never seen a woman before…_She thought, wryly. _Who are these guys? _Before she could even open her mouth to ask such a question, they bet her to the punch.

"Who are you?" They all seemed to ask in unison.

"Visiting hours are not until later!" One cried.

"This is no place for you. We are discussing important matters…"

Once again, before Hitomi could retort to the young man who had made the last comment, Van piped up from his bed. Although his jaw still hurt, he called out in a loud, deep voice, "Y—You shall treat…treat her with respect. Do I make myself clear?" His voice did not carry the conviction it wanted, but it got his desired effect. His advisors had stopped pestering Hitomi. _What is she doing here so early?_

Filling herself with confidence, Hitomi held her head up. "My name is Hitomi Kanzaki. I'm here to see Lord Van. Who are you?"

The eldest man standing there, also one of the shortest, came forward. There was something in his eye when Hitomi looked at him. A spark of recognition, perhaps? "Good morning, milady, we are Van's council of advisors. We are also here to talk with him."

"Why haven't I seen you here before?" Hitomi asked. _Advisors, huh? These are the guys that Merle doesn't like…_The last time Hitomi had seen her, Merle had been complaining about them; 'Cowardly bastards!' was the one line she seemed to use a lot.

"We were…evacuated before the worst of the battle started…along with some of the civilians."

"I…I see." Was her only reply. There was something awkward about his response; the older man who did the talking had a sense of sadness in his words.

"How are your wounds doing?" He asked her, out of sincerity, checking out the wraps of bandages on her arms. The older advisor, Haru, walked closer to her, wanting their conversation to be kept quiet. It looked like he was the only one who remembered her out of the older members. _Oh well…It would be a greater shame if I had forgotten…_

Taken back, and shook out of her analysis, Hitomi stuttered. "Oh…They're—They're fine. I'm doing much better now. Thank you."

"Unfortunately, madam, Lord Van is not fairing too well." His tone got very quiet and soft. He was standing right in front of her and Hitomi realized why. _He doesn't want Van to hear…_The other advisors had caught on earlier and where talking to Van to distract him.

"Why? I thought all those—" Hitomi began to say, confused. Her eyes filled with anguish. _I thought he was getting better…He sounds better…Oh no…Please, Van…_

"—No…Even with those medical treatments, nothing is healing the way it should. It is taking too long…The wounds are still open…Nothing is taking place. And if you're the person who I think you are, you and I both know why." The older man's voice was just above a whisper, his eyes twinkling. Hitomi was startled in a way. _He knows me? How does he know about Escaflowne?_

"I've been in Fanelia for as long as I can remember. I've been on this council since Van's father was King at twenty one years of age. I know a lot about the Fanel history. I have been around long enough to know about Escalfowne. I have been here long enough to witness what his majesty and you did to the Zaibach Empire, Miss Hitomi."

Hitomi blushed slightly at the appraisal of her deeds. She tried to stammer out a word or two of thanks, but the man kept going. "I may not have been on the ships or at the battles first hand, but I know—and you know it too. If Escaflowne is damaged…Van is damaged. If Escaflowne gets fixed, Van is healed." There was a pause in his monologue. The man smiled genuinely at her. Keeping his voice soft, he continued. "They say, 'With age comes wisdom…'; my dear, I think it is safe to say that someone who is half my age knows what needs to be done.

"Of course…someone who is half my age has to know the reasoning that we know, right, Miss Hitomi?" The old man smiled again, chuckling a little. "I am so glad I had the chance to run into you. Those other men have no clue what I know…What we know…and they assume that there is no relation between the two…"

He looked back at them, checking to make sure they were keeping Lord Van occupied. "But there is. There is no denying it. I've been waiting until someone could come with me to Fanelia…someone who knew what Escaflowne really means to Van…Merle, Millerna and Allen are still too sick…Dryden is on the other side of the world…so I waited for you. I hoped that you were here and not on the Mystic Moon...I hoped that you were transported here to help us, like last time..."

The way the old man conveyed his words to her, Hitomi knew immediately that he was a good man. Maybe the one that Merle hadn't called a bastard…in the harshest tone. She nodded to him. "I need to get to Fanelia. Now. Something's going to happen to Escaflowne and—"

"—Miss Hitomi, I know…" He interrupted.

Looking down a little at the man, Hitomi whispered in a tone with a touch of anger, "Why didn't you come and talk to me earlier?…We could have done something already!" _If he knew, why didn't he find me sooner?_

"My dear…" The old man started, "…I did not know what room you were in. You have no real name here. You are just some nurse's patient…In addition, I have just arrived back from Fanelia."

His answer was so simple, it almost made her laugh. She wanted to ask why they hadn't come to the hospital first, but decided against it. The old man looked more tired than when she first came in; his age showing in his features. Dismissing her previous thoughts and calming her nerves from the excitement of her plan being put into action, Hitomi realized that this man knew her, but she did not even know his name. "Sir, who are you?"

"My name is Haru Morioka, and I am a very good friend of Van's…I have made a terrible mistake of being too quiet to his majesty..." Hitomi knew, for sure, that there was a deep pang of regret in his words now. Giving him a sympathetic look, she brushed the hair out of her eyes and asked him, "When do we leave?"

* * *

Hitomi had talked to Van shortly after her conversation with Haru. She realized that what Haru said about Van's wounds was true…There was no infection, but the skin was not healed at all. _We have to get to Escaflowne…_She had to tell him what they were going to do. He had told her not to go. It would be too dangerous; he wasn't worth it. It was a five minute battle of words between them; neither of them giving in to each other's stubbornness.

But Van had finally stopped when she had said that she didn't care about the danger.

She cared about him.

He had told her where to look for Escaflowne…in his weakening voice…and then, ended up signing the rest to her. Haru had translated to her that he wished for her to be careful because he cared for her too…and that he was cold. Before she left, she grabbed a blanket and covered him. Leaning in, she kissed him lightly on the lips as she was leaving.

Hitomi knew that this would be the last time his lips would be cold to her touch. _He will get better now…Escaflowne is going to be fixed…_

Haru had advised the doctors to put Van back to the pain-free sleep again. He did not give an answer for why, just a simple, 'Trust me.'

In a few more minutes, they were off. Hitomi had spoken to Merle briefly to tell her what was going on, and before she could protest or ask to come with, Hitomi stopped her. "Merle, it's okay…someone has to watch Van…I'll be fine." She had given Merle the most hope filled smile that the cat had ever seen, and she agreed. Hitomi had decided against going to talk to Allen and Millerna upstairs…not now…

There were too many things going on now. It just so happened that everything was fitting into place with her plan to go back to Fanelia. It was just…so…_Perfect? Coincidental? _Hitomi tried to find the word to it, but her head was buzzing with so much emotion it was impossible to think. Her thoughts constantly strayed toward Van…and how he would be well again. Her heart pumped loudly in her chest and her body felt warm. Not even the dreary weather made her lose the feelings.

It was just them two on the carriage back to Fanelia and by the time they had gotten there, Hitomi had almost fell asleep. The sky had turned grey; a sad overcast with a promise of rain. But that did not faze her. Nothing would.

"Miss Hitomi. We have arrived." Haru prodded her shoulder with his finger. Opening her eyes again, her vision was assaulted with the view of a crumbled and burned wasteland. She choked on her sobs. _Oh…Oh no…_All of the good feelings she had were gone again. _Everything's…Everything's gone…_Many buildings that she had remembered on her walk over were gone…The only thing that remained mostly in tact was Van's castle.

But even that was barely the size it used to be. Most of the walls had caved in, she noticed, but thankfully, all the fires were nothing more.

The carriage halted, jerking Hitomi forward. "My dear, it is best not to look." Haru commented slowly. "The rain will come soon. Quickly."

He helped her get out of the carriage and told the driver to stay put. "Escaflowne lies amongst the only trees left standing. It appears that not even the Yoshidarians dared to touch it…"

Hitomi stayed silent, racing forward towards the great guymelf. Her legs were finally working properly and she managed to go across the black fields with ease, jumping over fallen carts and trees when needed. Haru fell farther and farther behind, unable to keep up, but he told her to keep going and that he would meet with her there. The green tips of trees were in her vision already. _Just…a little more…_Her hair whipped wildly around her, the humid air making it hard to breathe…but she kept going. She was too close to let him slip from her fingers.

She would not sit around and watch Van die.  
**_I don't want you to fade away  
_**Hitomi pushed herself, using whatever strength she had left. She knew that it wouldn't solve all the problems Shina had made…but it would solve one of them, dammit. And hopefully, it would set the rest in motion. _I have to do this…I need to do this…_Tears were coming back again, but they would not fall. Not this time.

No, this time she would be sure that they wouldn't fall.

The pendant bumped up and down against her chest as she ran. If it had begun to pulse or point in the direction she needed to go, Hitomi was not aware. She raced through the thick forest of spared trees, the bark nicking her skin here and there, while her thoughts remained on Van. _I can't lose him…No…not after all of this…I just need more time…I can't…I—I can't do nothing anymore…_ Her surroundings blurred past her; she did not look at anything…she just kept her eyes straight ahead and her mind on one thing. When a clearing come her way, she skidded to a halt, almost running past it. Almost running past Escalfowne.

Taking in a much needed deep breath, Hitomi put her hands on her knees, bending forward. She tilted her head up to stare at the mechanical beast, with all its damages. _Esca…Escaflowne…_Her eyes noted the small grave next to the guymelef and the destroyed burial marking. _Folken…_New memories came up again, but she suppressed them. She could not be distracted anymore. She had to do this.

Hitomi walked over and stood by its feet, craning her neck up to see the tip of Escaflowne's head. Pacing herself, Hitomi began to climb it, getting closer and closer to its midsection where the pink gem was. The body of Escaflowne was so smooth and cold…It troubled her. She tried not to make any of its wounds worse as she climbed over them or used them as a little leverage. Sweat pooled at her brow and although her arms, wrist and abdomen protested her movements from her own wounds, Hitomi made it.

Almost doubling over in exhaustion, Hitomi stood upright again as she stood in the lap of Escaflowne. Reaching forward towards the pink gem, she stretched her hand wordlessly to the tiny switch Dryden had flicked those many years ago. Van had told her where it was…She knew it was here…It had to be. _Yes! There!_

"Miss Hitomi!" A voice called from the ground, startling her a bit and faltering her movements. Haru had finally caught up with her and was breathing heavily. "Yes! Touch…Call them here!"

Turning her head back towards Escaflowne, Hitomi placed her fingers on the switch and flicked it. There was a beam of green light, brightening the scene, as the Ispano Clan heeded her call. A familiar large ship appeared in the sky and they wasted no time in climbing to where she was. They looked at her strangely but pointed to the ground, telling her to move. Two of the small, dark cloaked workers helped her down as the rest assessed the damage done to their creation.

Haru moved closer to Hitomi, who was trembling. "My dear, are you alright?"

Truth was, she didn't know why she was trembling. Happiness? Fear? Anxiety? Exhaustion? Maybe it was everything. It seemed too perfect. She never had the best of luck; there was something she was forgetting. Hitomi's heart hurt, like it was being squeezed from the inside. She had been so caught up in saving her angel…Her mind was on overdrive, only taking in the big picture. It was a habit of hers, unfortunately. She solemnly began to watch the cloaked men, or things, do their work when a group of six came up to her again.

One held out his hand. Before he could speak, Hitomi's mind switched gears, realizing what the little details were for once. _The money! Oh God, the money! How could I have forgotten? Oh no…Oh no…_Whatever feeling she had before was replaced with fear. _Stupid! Stupid! Oh God, how could you make me forget? No! NO! What are you going to do now, you idiot? Stupid! What's Van going to do now? What? WHAT?_

She was sobbing again and had barely heard the little Ispano say the price. "Two hundred thousand." The injuries to Escaflowne were not as great as the last time they were called, so the price was remarkably lower.

Haru blinked and reached inside his robes to pull out two large pouches, throwing them at their feet. "How much will this cover?"

Hitomi looked at the pouches with surprised eyes, then back at him. Stopping her thoughts for a moment, she asked, "H—Haru…What—?"

He interrupted her with a smile again. "Miss Hitomi, an old fool like me and his money are soon parted, regardless."

Her head was beginning to hurt. Everything was so surreal now. It was scaring her, but she had nothing to fear. Everything was…too much. Hitomi didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. Haru had clearly planned this out better than she had; he remembered the cost of repairing Escalfowne, while she—caught up amongst everything else—had forgotten. _Stupid, stupid, stupid…You idiotic woman! What's wrong with you?_

The Ispanos opened the pouches to find them filled with many gold pieces. They chattered amongst themselves, then turned back around. "It is not enough."

Haru stared down at them. "What will it fix?"

One of them pulled out a small blueprint of Escaflowne and a red, waxy stick. He circled all the minor cuts that were all over the body, thearm and the ankle. "Your money will fix all of this."

Hitomi sniffed loudly, brows furrowed on her face. Her eyes were red and puffy. But the green in her irises sparked determination. _I will not let you down Van! _She practically tore off her watch and added it to the pile. "How…" She started to say, "…How about now?"

The Ispanos looked at the strange mechanical device. One of them picked it up and looked at it. Talking to the others, they turned back to them. "The fingers will be fixed as well."

Haru looked back at Hitomi. "His ribs…That's the most important thing…his breathing will be difficult for the rest of his life if we don't fix them…"

Hitomi tried to think of something else of value to give to them…to at least repair the ribs…and maybe enough to cover some of the eye damage. _Oh God…what do we do? What am I going to do? What else can I give? _She had no other jewelry on her…

…Except…

She held out her last resort and dropped it onto the pile. Haru let out a gasped shock. "Hitomi!"

Her eyes furrowed deeply; her heart hurt too much now. _I will not let you fade away…_Hitomi blinked back her tears, not fully acknowledging what she was doing.

"Will _this _cover the cost of repairing his ribs…and a little of the cockpit?" Her eyes remained optimistic—even though her mind was not—as the Ispano men looked on at the trinket they were being offered.  
**_The pendant  
_**They nodded. "The ribs will be fixed. The left side of the cockpit will be restored enough so that it can function, but that is all. Not a hundred percent…" The front man quickly snatched the pendant and stared at it. The pendant's light had died down; it had lost its glow. It looked like any other necklace now, but the Ispanos knew it would be a great addition to their collections.

Her entire body was filled with a blinding white hope and love as the little men began to work. There were no more tears of sadness or pain. She felt something tug at her heart again. But it was something different; a different feeling this time. Something wonderful.

Even though her tears would not fall, the rain had finally started.

And Hitomi smiled.

* * *

Firstly, I wanna say I'm sorry this took so long. AND, I'm sorry this chapter is very long. The addition of the advisors was the only way it could work…so, yeah.

Secondly, I am officially18! w00t! My birthday was a few days ago!

Thirdly, there is probably only one more chapter left…with the possibility of an epilogue.

Hope you all liked it!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything. Really! Although, lying burns calories…

**To all who reviewed: **Thanks for being so nice! I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter. (big smile) I don't know about you, but I thought it was a bit rushed. See, that's my problem. I don't think my plot through…So, when I have an idea, it's usually too late and I end up just cramming it in one chapter…(sigh)

And, OMG, I just realized that I haven't watched my Escaflowne DVD's in two years. AND, I just remembered that the show is so sad…omg, I'm going to go and cry or something

**Chapter Thirty**

On the ride back towards Togane, Hitomi did not say a word. Dirty blonde hair stuck to her forehead and her tired body tried to stay awake. She had never felt this exhausted. The rain was not making her feel any better either. Her eyes were half-opened and looking only straight ahead. Her mind had shut off long ago. Since the Ispanos had taken their offer, Hitomi was not there anymore. She was in a haze…but it felt good to be there.

Haru, sitting across from her, stared at the obviously dazed woman in front of him. He respected the silence and did not make conversation with her. He knew the seriousness of what she had done.

And he knew that it hadn't hit her fully yet. Haru knew that Hitomi cared for his majesty greatly and would do anything for him…even sacrifice something so meaningful to her. He did not want to pop the bubble that was sheltering her from the consequences of her actions. He would rather see her do it herself.

Her body rocked back and forth whenever the carriage hit a hole in the ground but Hitomi did not mind. She felt different since they had left Escaflowne. There was something missing, but her mind was drawing blanks. It was not connecting anything to everything else. She just kept picturing Van, in the hospital, sitting up for the first time since the battle and smiling.

With that image in her head, Hitomi let her lips tug upwards in her own smile. It was a sad smile, however; her heart was hurting again. The haze would not lift yet and she was still unsure exactly _what _she should be feeling. Her insides were churning with all the contrasting emotions. Should she be happy from what happened? Sad? Joyful? Afraid?

But her smile said that she was happy.

Wasn't she?

* * *

Merle sat patiently by Van's room, waiting for the effects of Escaflowne's repairs to show through him. He did not talk to her when she was in the room, but she talked to him, regardless. She told him about what's going on with her and her injuries, about Millerna and Allen...He did not tell her what exactly was bothering him, he actually refused to, but she knew what it was anyway. _He's thinking about Hitomi…Oh Van, she'll be fine…Hitomi's a smart girl; you don't have to worry about her._

The doctors came around when she was in the middle of a story involving Kiyoshi and three cups of water and asked for her to leave. They put Van under the sleeping smoke again and Merle watched from the window in her little wheelchair.

She waited. And it wasn't long before it happened.

It hurt to watch, but she knew that Van was getting fixed. She felt relieved that Hitomi had managed to do it right but frightened at the same time since Van was in pain because of it. Her eyes were wide open as she looked on, tears starting to form. The doctors were trying to restrain his convulsing body, all the while trying to understand what was going on. What she saw was upsetting her, but, the mantra in her mind was simple. _Van is going to be okay…Van is going to be okay…_

And then, everything else would be okay. _Yes. Then everything's gonna be okay…_

* * *

They had arrived back in Togane a few hours later. Hitomi wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep on the ride back, but the time when they had arrived back at the hospital and when she was standing in Van's room was a blur. She had no idea how she had gotten there that fast. Or how she had gotten there at all. 

Regardless, she found herself standing at the entrance of the room, looking in at the scene. All sound was subdued now while she was in her daze; she couldn't hear anything but soft mumbles. Even the light seemed off…. Rain hit the windows almost soundlessly and the only light was coming from the lit lanterns since the sky was still overcast. The doctors stood around Van, talking amongst themselves and looking very confused; they could not explain the recovery at all. They had put Van to sleep and they watched him heal before their eyes. Merle was sitting on the cot next to him, petting his hand. The other advisors were in another corner of the room…

But she focused on him, first and foremost.

He looked so clear in her vision while everything else was blurry. The room was shifting and while everyone else was sliding, Van stayed still. It was making her dizzy; however, she didn't care. She noticed his improved health immediately. All the bandages around his gashes were gone. His jaw had finally set in its proper place. The sling used to keep his arm steady was gone. His ankle's cast was gone, too. His skin was no longer pale and instead, was flush with colour.

The bandages around his eyes, however, were still in place. But that's okay. He was up and moving again. Hitomi felt her heart flutter a bit from relief. _He's okay…Oh, God! Van's okay! _Her smile returned and it lazily spread across her face. She could still not see or hear right because of that haze, but it was okay. Van was better now. _That's all that matters…Right? Yes, yes…_

He felt much better now. Nothing hurt. He could talk again…he could move around too…his eye still hurt a bit, but it was a lot less than before…Everything had turned around and he knew that Hitomi and Haru were successful in repairing Escalfowne. He couldn't wait to see her again so as soon as he heard the door open and felt her presence, Van snapped his head up. "H—Hitomi?"

His echoing voice cracked through the odd haze her mind was under. Suddenly, everything was real again…The dizzy feeling was gone; everything was loud and bright. She snapped back to reality quickly and all the events that had taken place hit her, full force… She had met Haru…They both went back to Fanelia…He had given up a lot of money…she had given up her watch and the pendant…It started to rain…Escaflowne was repaired…**_  
The pendant  
_**She blinked slowly and noticed that everyone was looking at the woman with the name Van had called. Hitomi realized why her body felt too many emotions…and she began to feel sick. The mere thought of it made her tremble all over. _Oh…God, what have I done? The—The pendant…Oh no…_

Her voice died in her throat with a choked sob, making her unable to answer Van. _The…The pend—pendant…_Shaking fingers desperately tried to grasp the chain that was usually around her neck, but it wasn't there. She looked down to notice that it was no longer with her. _Oh God…Oh God…What did I do? _Was she that caught up in saving Van's life that she didn't know what she was doing? Was she that unable to think ahead? Was the idea of Van's death that consuming to her…that it pushes out everything other thought? _…Why?…How could I…? _Hitomi mouth went dry.

"Hitomi?" His voice, strong but concerned, came back to her again. He was pretty sure it was her that entered the room; Van was getting better at identifying people at the sounds of their footsteps and the feeling he picked off of them. The presence in the room felt like hers, but it was a little different this time. _It has to be Hitomi…What's wrong? What's happened?_

But she could not answer him. The happiness of Van's recovery—which put her in that mindless haze in the first place—was now overshadowed by the awareness that the pendant was not hers. Hitomi stood frozen, unable to do anything because she knew that she could never—  
_**Leave  
**_—use the pendant again. It was gone. It was in the hands of the Ispanos now. And there was nothing she could do to get it back. There was nothing she could do to even think about going back home.  
_**You don't belong here  
**_She would never see her planet again.

"H—Hitomi?" Van's voice cracked a bit and he held onto Merle's hand a bit tighter. He could feel the tension in the room. There was something else, too. A presence that he usually felt with Hitomi was gone. He frowned at himself for not picking it up earlier. _… Something's missing…? _"What did you do?" He asked, in a harsher tone than he meant it.

Hitomi shrunk against Van's words. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest like a shield. Haru turned to his traveling companion, worried. "My dear? Are you…okay?" He waved his hand in front of her wide-eyed expression. Hitomi seemed to snap out of another daze, but she did not look at Haru. She looked down at the feet with a saddened expression.

"Hitomi?" Van called out again, shifting his weight on the cot because he was getting nervous at the silence. "What happened?"

Hitomi's voice suddenly found itself in her windpipe again and let out the saddest and most bitter voice she had ever heard. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. "We got…We got Escaflowne f—fixed at a price I paid for…"

Van stayed silent for a while. He knew she was hinting at something else and he had to ask to be sure. That different feeling was finally identified; he was guessing that the pendant was missing. It made his heart fall into chest and his stomach lurch. That was part of who he was...That was a part of his past. It was a part of who she was, too. How could she...? He hadn't felt this sick since he first came into the hospital. _Did she really…? Hitomi…_He couldn't see that it was indeed missing, but his gut told him so. His voice came out quiet and unsteady. "Did—Did you bargain the pendant for my life?"

Many of the people in the room did not understand what was going on and went back into their own conversations. However, Merle's ears had perked up at the mention of the pendant and her blue eyes locked onto Hitomi. _Oh no…Not the pendant…_But there was no mistaking that Hitomi no longer had it around her neck. _Oh no…Oh no…Hiotmi!_

At her silence, he knew he was right. His hand clenched into a fist and his voice was still. The way she was acting right now…The sound of her voice…There was too much sadness there…_ Does it upset her that much to stay here with me? _A long pause followed Hitomi's silence as Van gathered his scattered thoughts which had a slightly angry tone in them. _Without the pendant…she can no longer go back to the Mystic Moon. But, if she did not want to stay here……Why did she save me if she does not want to stay with me? _His next question hurt to come out of his lips and it hit everyone else like ton of bricks. "Do you…Do you regret it?"

Hitomi's head snapped up. It wasn't fair. She had just gotten here, dazed, and she was being bombarded with all these questions that asked too much of her. She was emotionally and mentally drained. Everything was going too fast…the room was spinning again. She couldn't think. But how could she answer that question, regardless? She couldn't answer that she did regret, because he was better. _…I care for him…No, it's more than that…_  
**_I love you_**  
But it wasn't like she could answer that she didn't regret it, because she would never see her home again.  
**_Leave  
_**She could never go home again.**_  
_**

Her silence was taking too long. Van repeated the question again, but Hitomi did not answer and returned her gaze to her feet… _Oh God… _Her body shook slightly with all her emotions. She couldn't think straight. It was impossible. Her heart was torn again. She hated that feeling; she had gained so much and, at the same time, lost so much too.

Did she regret it that much? _No…I don't…Van—Van's too important to me…I love him too much to see him die…I promised to myself that I would not let him fade away… and it would have killed me if I didn't do something to save him……but…_There was always the 'but.' She couldn't help it. _…why did it have to be the pendant?_

It hurt to know that she would never see her students…her home…her friends…her mother…ever again.

Was it worth it? Was Van's life worth everything she lost? Was it?  
_**I love you  
**_Merle finally broke the silence by saying her name in a soft tone. She had been on the sidelines for too long, just watching both of them become depressed. She could not take it anymore. "Hitomi?"

She brought her hands to her face and swallowed thickly. "V—Van…I c—can't…I—I—"

Haru, seeing her distress, intervened. "Your majesty…Please…Enough questions…It's been a long day…"

Van was about to interject against the advisor, but held it in. "Come on, now, Miss Hitomi," Haru continued, "the rain has stopped…maybe you'd like to go outside?"

Hitomi nodded dumbly, following Haru out. _Maybe the air shall clear her head…My poor dear…_

Van kept his head down, trying to black out everything. _She doesn't wish to stay with us…with me…She does regret it…_He swallowed thickly and let the silence in the room settle.

Merle was the first to speak up. "Lord Van?"

Although he did not answer, she continued. "Are you mad that Hitomi gave up the pendant?"

He bristled visibly, but did not respond. "Are you mad that Hitomi isn't happy with her…current situation?" _She's good…_Van thought wryly.

"No, not mad…" He replied in a soft voice. "Just…unhappy." However, he knew—and so did Merle—that unhappy didn't even begin to cover it._  
_

"Well," Merle began with a pause. Van could sense that her voice was going to change from calm to angry, and it did. "I'd be freaking out too if I found out that I couldn't go back home anymore! Come on, Lord Van! This isn't the only place where Hitomi has a life! Hell, if she even had the thought to give up something that precious to her, let alone actually _doing _it, to save your life, you'd think you would be grateful!"

"M—Merle," Van stuttered, looking up, "I…I am grateful! I…It's just…" He couldn't finish what he tried to say. Guilt filled his soul knowing that _he_ was the reason why Hitomi could never go back to the Mystic Moon. Along with that guilt, there was also the sadness that came from the selfishness of his other thoughts: she would be with him forever and therefore, she should be happy. _But what happiness is that if she does not wish to stay…? ……Hitomi has another life as well…She too has friends and family and purpose on the Mystic Moon…Who am _I _to come between that?_

Instantly, seeing Van's dejected face, Merle regretted her harsh words. _I had to tell him…At least he knows and understands what Hitomi's going through now…Jeeze, Van…you're so bad at that kind of stuff…_ Taking his hand in her paw again, she held it.

"Hitomi's going to be going through a tough time right now…she needs you more than ever. You need to help her, Van…because she wants your help. And don't you dare say, 'No she doesn't' because if she didn't, she wouldn't have done what she did! She loves you, and of course she'd want to stay here…but it's the details that she's looking at. She can never go home again. How would _you _feel if you got stranded on the Mystic Moon without ever coming back? You'd be upset too and I doubt Hitomi would think, 'Oh, he doesn't want to stay with me!' I'd think she'd be more on the save wavelength and help you through it!"

Van nodded slowly, holding Merle's hand tighter. "Sorry…" He mumbled. "I—I didn't mean to…"

She snorted. "Don't tell me that. Tell Hitomi."

The doctors, who were standing by and waiting for the conversation to be over, finally saw their chance and cut in. "Please excuse the interruption, your majesty…You've made a miraculous recovery. Since everything else looks wonderful, we'd like to see how your eye is doing now…"

_A miraculous recovery……Hitomi…_Van's heart hurt but he nodded to the doctors to take off the bandages. Slowly, he felt the wrappings get looser and finally peel off his skin. "Now, keep both eyes closed until everything is off…" He heard one say. Merle's grip tightened a little bit but right now, Van could care less about his eyes.

All he could think about was Hitomi.

The cool air in the room hit the skin near his eyes fully for the first time since coming here. Once the doctors removed all the gauze, they broke the silence. "Alright, Lord Van, open your eyes and tell me what you can see."

Everything went quiet, except for Merle's loud breathing, as he reached up and touched his injured eye. He could feel the scar on his eyelid and winced at the light pain. Removing his hand,his heart pounded in anticipation. It felt as if he'd been waiting for this moment for his entire life, not for the week he had been here._It's now or never…Here goes nothing…_Van's mind was still slightly distracted with the thoughts of Hitomi, but he gave in to his curiousity and the doctor's commands.

Maroon irises were finally seen by everyone in the room and they gradually began to take in the first sight of something other than darkness. It was an interesting experience for him. The room around him had tables and chairs…his advisors…the doctors…and a bunch of medicines along the walls. He turned his head to see Merle, who looked thinner than he remembered…Her fur was lighter than and not as long as before. _That's probably what she was talking about before…_And there was something in her blue eyes that he couldn't decipher along witha shocked expression on her face. _…What?_

Everything looked slightly off when both eyes were opened. He could see fine, but it wasn't perfect. Objects in the room had a slight haze to it; the details were not as sharp as they used to be. Under doctor's orders, he closed his good eye and used only his injured eye to see. On its own, it saw the objects and people in the room that were fuzzy and unclear. _Shina has left her mark…_

The doctors noticed, along with Merle, the thin, visible, white line that was still present on Van's cornea. It was what was causing the slight loss of vision. After doing a few seeing tests, and letting him take in the idea of being able to use his eyes again, one man coughed before speaking. "Your majesty, I believe we'll keep the bandages on for a little while longer…"

"Why?" Van spoke up, looking at the doctor in the eye, which was weird to do since he hadn't done it in a long time. "I can see."

"Yes, but, as a precautionary measure…We'll take off the bandages but then put them back on to get your eyes accustomed to seeing again. It'll be a shock to your system if we take them off now and forever. You've been in the dark for some time…"

"Fine. Whatever." He mumbled, closing his eyes again and waiting for them to put the bandages back on. They did the job quickly and when they finished, he sighed. "Merle?" Van asked, turning towards her.

"Yes, Lord Van?"

"Where did Haru go?"

Merle looked up and saw the said advisor at the door. _When did that old man get back in here? …Hmm, probably when Van got his vision back for that short while…_"He's here."

Van moved his head up and got off the cot. "Van! Wait!" Merle tried to grab him, but he dodged her grasp. _You can't see! You don't know your way around! You could get hurt! _He staggered towards Haru, with his arms outstretched, trying to find him.

"Your majesty, follow my voice." Haru called out.

"No kidding." Van grumbled. "I may have temporarily lost my vision, but I'm not stupid." His arm finally hit something and he held on. "Haru?"

"My Lord, you're holding onto a ceiling support." His voice called out from the left.

"Shut up."

"Van, do you want any—?" Merle began to say but was cut off.

"—No, I don't." Van turned around and listened for breathing. His hand hit some fabric a few seconds later and he held it. "Haru…Where did you take Hitomi?"

"How are your eyes, your majesty?"

"They're fine." He growled, hoping that the direction of his face met up with Haru's. "Where is Hitomi? I need to talk with her."

Haru smiled a bit. "Come, I'll show you." Van felt himself being pulled towards his right and suddenly, he felt Haru's hands push something skinny onto his. "Let go of my arm and use this. It's a walking stick and it'll get you around faster than just your hand flailing in front of you."

Van took it in his hand and kept his head down. "I need to talk with her."

"Yes, yes…right this way." Haru held the door open and both walked out.

_Hey! What about me? _The feline was about to protest, but then remembered that Kiyoshi wouldn't 'approve' and that 'it wouldn't be good for her.' _Ugh…How does that dipshit know what's good for me? Hell, I'm a lot better now!_However crude her remarks against Kiyoshi's ideas were, Merle stayedseatedon the cot, feet swinging over the edge, barely listening to the doctors or the advisor's conversations. It was quiet again and she let her mind drift. The first thing that came to her as she sat there was that she hoped Van would be able to talk to Hitomi and not make things worse. She sighed. _Goodness, Van…You're so clueless sometimes…_

And even though she had her doubts, Merle smiled.

Because everything was going to be okay.

* * *

OMG. 

The scandal of this chapter.

When I was first writing this, it was getting REALLY long because I kept adding things. So then, halfway through, I'm like, "Hey, maybe I should split it up a bit."

So I did.

Which is why this chapter took so bloody long. I had to cut it at a appropriate place and then add the whole, "open your eyes" part (which I wanted to add in the first place but it was too long). Oi vey. (sigh)

I'm SO sorry. But, the next chapter should be up soon b/c it's almost finished itself. That'll be the last chapter, so until then!

PLEASE REVIEW


	31. Chapter Thirty One

**Disclaimer: **For the last time…I shant to own anything. However, I do own the entire series (which I will re-watch soon enough), the movie (which I have watched twice even though the disc is scratched and I can't see the ending)…and a strange love for Samurai Champloo…(ahem) Moving along.

**To all who reviewed: **I can't thank each and every one of you enough! (hugs) I'm glad you liked Chapter 30…(chocolate) Thank you thank you thank you!

Alas, the last chapter…There will be fluff!

**Chapter Thirty One **

The tall grass in the hospital's field was soft and wet from the rain and they tickled Hitomi's bare arms as she sat in them. The clouds began to break up, giving her the sight of a pre-sunset sky. The blue that was usually there was turning a yellowish white and a few stars were poking through. The sun was visible at the edge of the horizon, getting ready to fall underneath it. And, of course, slightly to the left of the falling sun, was the bright, eerily striking sight of Earth and its moon.

Any artist would say the picture she saw was beautiful and calming, but Hitomi's insides were anything but calm. Although it had been some time since the exchange of words between Van and her, Hitomi's thoughts had not reached any conclusion. In fact, they hadn't been on the topic in a while.

Her mind was a blank canvas, only commenting on the nature around her; the insects, the rock formations, the grass… She kept avoiding the subject, but that was fine by her. The less she thought about it, the less it hurt.

And she's had enough hurt in these weeks to last a lifetime.

Her arms and head were resting on her knees that were folded towards her chest. Her abdominal, wrist and arm wounds hurt in this position, but she ignored it. Since her head was resting on her knees, she noticed the condition of her clothes. The aqua track pants and orange T-shirt she had on were filthy…Full of dirt, dried blood, tears and holes…She had been wearing them day in and day out since she had returned. Her mind traveled to the thought that it was disgusting and completely unhygienic, but, it was the only clothes she had to wear. The hospital did not have anything…

_I've been wearing these things since the day I returned from Earth to help Van fight Shina…_That last thought replayed in her mind. _…returned from Earth…_Finally, the subject she had been avoiding had come up, even though she didn't want it to. She felt tears spring up in her eyes and she brought her knees closer together. _I can't go back…_She tried to think of another way to go back home, but she knew that if the pendant wasn't there, it would be impossible.

Although she had brought the pendant to her before, there was something different this time. No matter how hard she tried, she could not pick up the faintest indication of where it was. _It's like it's hiding…or it's dormant…Like it _wants _me to stay here…_ She had no idea where the Ispanos kept it and it wasn't giving her any pulse for her to find it. _…I can never go back…_

A soft, cool wind blew through the grass, making ripples in her clothes and making her pause her thoughts. _…What now? _It still hurt her,right down to her bones.But, her mother had always told her to not cry over spilt milk. It happened. It's over. So, stop worrying about it.

_But how can I _not _worry about it? This is…This is much bigger than a glass of milk…_ Her eyes moved upwards to look at the Earth in the sky. Her heart lurched painfully. _…my mother…Yukari…Amano…I couldn't even say goodbye…_She could feel her insides squeeze together at the idea of never seeing her mother or any of them again. She could never see or do the simple things on Earth again, like ride the bus or sitting down at a café or talking on the phone or even watching television. Green eyes stayed fixed on the Earth in the sky. She felt like crying, but no tears went down her face. She _should _be crying, but she wasn't. She wallowed in pain instead.

_Why…? Why did I do that for? It was the pendant…the _pendant_…And now, it's not even giving me anything to locate it…I can't even feel it anymore…What_—_What will I do now? _Of course, she knew exactly what she had to do. _…I have to stay here. There isn't any other option… _

Hitomi sighed in frustration, fatigue and sadness. _I have no where else to go…_Remembering her last time on Earth at the hospital, Hitomi's heart hurt even more. _Mama wanted me to be happy…Am I? Am I happy that I'm with Van…and away from everyone else?_ The answer that would have come was disrupted when she heard someone coming from behind her. She did not look up to identify the person; it was probably one of the hospital workers…a few had passed by already…

But when she felt something whack her gently on the side, she turned her head to see a long white stick on the grass next to her. She watched the stick move along the grass, back and forth, back and forth, until it came up beside her to hit her again. _Hmm? _Finally, looking up, she saw Van. He was using the white stick and his left arm—outstretched and moving in front of him—to find his way around. The bandages were still around his eyes.

Hitomi quickly looked away. She did not want to talk about anything now. "Hitomi?" He called out, touching her lightly with the stick again. "Is that you?" He bent down a bit and tapped her shoulder.

Sighing and burying her head in her arms, she replied solemnly in a low whisper. "Yes." His voice was so strong, just like before…Every one of his aliments was gone. It made her feel a bit better, but her heart was still heavy. _It was for a good cause…wasn't it? Was it worth it? Was it worth all of this?_

Van moved the stick to the ground next to her, making sure it was unoccupied and safe to sit on. Slowly, but surely, Van seated himself by her right, placing the stick at his feet. "It is a nice night, isn't it? After all the rain…the wind is warm…"

Hitomi nodded in response, but then remembered that Van still had his bandages on. "Yes, it is." She mumbled, not looking up.

"Chid is doing well and Merle is getting stronger……Oh, Celena and Dryden have arrived…" He brought up aimlessly, "They've come to see Allen and Millerna. Those two are doing much better…" There was a bit of sadness in his voice as he trailed off, but Van did not want to continue on that topic. Before Hitomi had come back from Fanelia, Merle had told him, when she was in his room, that Yuki was still missing—presumed deceased—and he figured that such a conversation would not be fitting. Not now.

"That's nice." He heard her mumble, feeling her depression in every word. She was happy for them that they were better because she cared for them, but there was something else that weighed more on her mind. Van moved his hand in hopes to find her arm. He did end up brushing up against it, so he slowly rubbed it in a comforting gesture. Hitomi instantly felt a tingling sensation on her arm, warming her. _…Van…_

He breathed in deeply to quell his fast-paced pulse. Van had no idea how to start up this conversation; he had no preparation time. When he was being directed towards her, Haru had taken up his time by telling him the whole story about how she had given up the pendant to repair his ribs and part of his eye...to fix the most important parts. _Such a sacrifice…_

Van knew that he wouldn't be able to see perfectly out of it, but he didn't care. It would be good enough for him to get around, so it was good enough for him. He would take this one short-coming and live with it. His soul stirred a bit and he finally found his speech again. _Say something! _The silence between them was disturbed. "Hitomi…I—I was being selfish earlier and I wanted to thank you…" He turned his face to meet hers.

He heard the rustle of fabric. _Maybe she's looking at me…_Van paused a bit before continuing. "…I wanted to thank you for saving my life…by giving up a piece of yours."

Van heard more movement and figured that she had turned to face him completely. The next words out of her mouth startled him; they were so full of emotion, unlike her previous responses. "V—Van! Please! D—Don't say that…"

His no longer broken fingers wrapped around her arm, gripping lightly. "And…and, I'm sorry." He paused again to find the right words. "I'm sorry for what I had to make you do…for what you lost…"

"N—No, Van…please, don't say that either!" Hitomi stammered, staring at his bandaged eyes. "It…It isn't fair!" She sniffed loudly. "I—I—!"

Van grabbed her hand with his and interrupted her. "—Hitomi. I want to say it. I'm sorry that you had to…do that…to save me…The pendant means a lot to you, and to barter it to let me live…" He wasn't sure if the words he used were the greatest ones to say in her emotional state, but it wasn't like he could take them back now. _I hope I don't do any more damage…_

Although Van could not see them, tears began to fall. "No! Van, it…It was…It…" She couldn't find the words to explain herself. Hitomi grew flustered and turned away from him. She took a deep breath in to steady herself. "Van…I…I don't know anymore."

At the corner of her eye, she saw one eyebrow lift from underneath the bandage in a confused manner. "I did what I did…so that I could save you. If I could have done something to let you live, and I didn't, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror anymore. You're too important to me…I can't just let you go or watch you suffer…I love you too much and I would do anything to keep you with me…"

_Love? Did she say…love? _Van's body shook lightly. "H—Hitomi…"

Her heart poured out the words of her soul, making her ramble. "—It's just that…that right now, nothing feels right anymore! It doesn't…I'm happy because you're better…but I'm sad because of what I can't do anymore. I don't feel right and it hurts, dammit! I really hurt right now because nothing makes sense to me…" Her arms shook and her body trembled as she continued.

"I couldn't let you fade away…after waiting so long to see you again…after everything we've done…I couldn't just stand there anymore and watch you get sicker. I just couldn't do that…" She sniffed again, wiping her tears furiously, and her tone changed. It was more calm, Van noticed. "I don't know what to feel right now. Everything inside me is a mess. I want to stay here, with you…but, knowing that I can never go home again…that everything and everyone I've met on the Mystic Moon is no longer with me…it hurts, Van…"

There was a long pause and Van took the opportunity to speak again. "My mother told me something when I was little once…She used to say that when your world begins to flip upside down, it's better to go with it then fight against it. Change will always happen and there's no point in trying to maintain stability when the world is spinning underneath your feet…When you do that, you stay in the same spot and don't learn anything new or embrace it. If you choose to roll with it—even though it's difficult—when it finally stops, you'll be able to…to…" He didn't know where else to go with that statement. Any way he tried to word it in his head, it always came out bad.

_I can't just tell her to forget about her home and embrace the new circumstances…I can't just say to live with it…or cut your losses and stick with the gains that you have…_ Van sighed at his incapability to say something meaningful to make Hitomi feel better. _I don't even know why I brought up that story in the first place… _

Hitomi noticed Van's uneasiness and his silence. She waited for him to continue; she could tell that he needed to say something and sadly, her heart told her that she had all the time in the world to wait. She wouldn't be going anywhere soon, her body reminded her desolately. "Van?"

His mind scrambled, but he managed to speak. "Hitomi…your home is not gone forever…It is still there. Inside you. It won't disappear…You are a strong woman and you will always be connected to everyone, just in spirit…The pendant may be out of your hands, but there will always be a connection there, between you and the people you love…" Van breathed out nosily through his noise. _Gods, that was terrible…_

She nodded slightly at his words; if the pendant was given to her grandmother, then it must have some connection to her family…"But, to never see it again?" Her voice still carried sadness, he could tell.

Moving his hand down her arm, he followed the path until he got to her hand. Holding it gently, causing Hitomi to flush, he spoke softly. "I know that it is hard…And it will take time…Your loss is great, and I understand that…Life is full of obstacles and terrible things, but it is also full of moments of joy. Your world is upside down. Everything you knew isn't there anymore…And, I know that it's hard to adjust…I—I'm sorry for what I had to make you do, but…but, I'll be here for you, okay? I'll help you through this in any way I can…I know that I'm not very good at that kind of thing, but I'll try…I'll be there for you when you need me to be…

"You make me happy, Hitomi, in a way that no one else can…I know that you're current situation is upsetting you and I know that you are upset because you won't be able to go back home…Hitomi, I hate it when you are sad…I will comfort you and make you happy because I love you…I love you, Hitomi and I always will, even if you're a dimension or two away from me. I know that the pendant is gone, but maybe…one day, when I have my kingdom back, maybe I could strike up a deal with the Ispanos to get the pendant back…And maybe—"

_He loves…? _She couldn't hear him anymore and her thoughts went through her head at a slow pace. _He would do that…for me? He would give up his riches to send me home and make me happy, even though he'd lose me…? _Without another thought, Hitomi quickly cut him off by moving towards him and hugging him. She knew that his plan might never work, but just the idea of him letting her go back…even though he would rather have her stay here…_Van…_ He never saw it coming, but instantly felt the warmth as she embraced him and moved into his lap. _She's…She's hugging me…_ "…Hitomi?" Van called out, startled. Against his bare skin, he could feel the tears that were wetting her cheeks as she hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her a few moments later to mimic her actions.

"Van…" She began but didn't finish. _He'll be there…_And it seemed that right now, when she was most vulnerable and upset, that was all that really mattered. She had someone with her…to help her deal with all the things that she would no longer have. It would not immediately erase all the anguish, but it was a start. Hitomi burrowed her head in his shoulder, breathing in his scent, feeling the warmth that his body emitted. Those very simple words…

It was at that moment, that exact second in his arms, where all the fear and sorrow melted away. It was only a brief second of momentary relief, but she knew that at that second, there was no other place she would rather be than with him, right here.

Because her angel was with her.

And she knew that he wouldgrab her before she fell.

There was a long silence as they embraced, neither letting go. "…Van…" Hitomi continued, her voice shaking, "Please, don't be sorry…I'm glad that you're okay…I'm glad that I was able to help you."

"Yes…Thank you, Hitomi. For everything you have brought into my life." He replied softly, smiling a little and holding her closer. "I want nothing more than to see you happy, Hitomi…And I will do everything in my power to make you smile again. Although you have every right to be sad…to be unhappy…I want you to know that I will be here for you, to make you content, because I—I love you too much to see you sad…" She clung tighter to him, not wanting to let the warmth she felt leave her body.

"Thank you…" She mumbled; Hitomi could feel her emotions about her loss begin to rise in her chest, threatening to explode again, but she willed herself to be calm...just for a little while longer…There was hope, she knew, and she held on to it. There was that thin sliver of pure hope that was inside her blackened mind. It was all she had right now to settle her heart a little. She just hoped that she could see everyone one more time to tell them that she's okay…and that everything's okay…and not to worry because she's in good hands here…She knew that Van would keep his promise and she hoped that it would be enough. No, she knew that love would be enough…His love would be enough to lighten her current darkness.

It hurt. It pained her soul to know that her world may never greet her eyes again; part of her was missing. She loved her mother, her friends, her coworkers…But this was something different. This was something else…There was no word to describe it to her, but there was something that told her that she would be okay here. Her heart stopped beating so harshly and Hitomi finally felt calm as she sat there in his arms.

Hitomi was never one to really believe that everything could be solved with love, but this felt different…there was a stronger bond there. It was different because of all the things they had done together. She knew that nothing was exactly fixed yet, but in his arms, she felt a sense of security that no matter what, as along as Van was with her, she would be fine.

And because of what she did, by repairing Escaflowne, she figured he would be with her for a while longer. _I'm glad that you're okay…_

A cooler breeze sifted through the grass, causing them both to shudder a bit.

"Hitomi?" Van's voice was light as he changed the subject. Her body was still against his, so he figured that she was okay again…even if it was for this one moment. "Is the sun setting?"

Cracking an eye open, she looked. The orange glow of the sun was indeed dipping below the horizon. "Yes…It is."

"Can you tell me what it looks like?"

The request was so strange to her: no one had ever asked her that before. Turning her head slightly, towards the sun, she began her description for Van. She rambled about how the grass was shining, how the rocks' colour was distorted, how the clouds were drifting away, how the colours of the sky were changing and how the stars were shining. Of course, she talked about the Mystic Moon and its companion in the sky, and how they glowed in the light. It pained her to talk about them, but she did. She continued to describe every detail of the sky, the ground, and even the little creatures that came by until the sun's circular shape was covered completely by the horizon.

He smiled again after she was finished. "…It sounds beautiful…"

Making her body fit nicely into his, Hitomi sighed deeply and returned to their embrace. It hurt, yes, and it always would, but somehow, knowing that she would be with him made her heart a little lighter…a little more relaxed…a little more calm.

Focusing on the better feelings, Hitomi closed her eyes and wrapped herself in the warmth she felt Van giving her. _I want you to be happy…_Her mind replayed her mother's voice and she nodded. She was perfectly happy, just sitting there with him, in the grass.

With him.

Van.

She felt the grass tickle her again…the sweet wind wrap around them along with little things that it blew around…at this moment, for another second, her mind said that everything was going to be okay.

And she smiled.  
**_You belong on Gaea.

* * *

_**

"Ms. Kanzaki, do you need help with anything?" Amano asked, as he set the last dish on the table. Yukari had just exited the kitchen, bringing utensils and cups for the three of them.

"Amano, I want none those formalities. My name is Nozomi…You make me sound like a grandmother!" She called out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, Amano!" Yukari playfully scolded. After laughing when he gave her the glare of a lifetime, she repeated his question. "Nozomi, do you need any more help?"

"No, no…" They heard her voice. "You two are guests for lunch! Sit down…The soup is almost ready." Both sighed and sat. _Even if she was _our _guest for lunch, she would insist upon making food…_Yukari thought, smiling. _Hitomi's mother never changes…_

There was a comfortable silence between the two newlyweds, as each began to take some dumplings and rice from the bowls in front of them into their plates. Just as Yukari was about to indulge in her dumpling, Amano made her stop. "I wonder if Hitomi's alright…" He breathed out, in a whisper, eyes cast downward at his rice.

"Shh…Don't start on that…You don't want Nozomi to here, do you?"

"Don't want me to hear about what? Is there a surprise party that I'm not supposed to know about?" Yukari cursed her luck as Hitomi's mother came into the room, holding a tray with three bowls of miso soup on top of it. She set it down and gave them their bowls before taking her own and finally sitting down herself.

Both stayed quiet, not wanting to bring up the subject. It had been on their minds since the day Hitomi was released from the hospital and Nozomi had told them what happened. 'She's with that man…On that strange planet with her grandmother's pendant…' But that was all she knew.

Anything could have happened since then.

Chopsticks tapped against plates as the three began to eat, not saying a word. Nozomi looked from Amano to Yukari, waiting for them to say something. However, when nothing was said, even about her little joke from before, she spoke up. "I—I know that you are worried about Hitomi…There's no need to try and hide it from me."

Yukari almost choked on the mushroom she had in her mouth. Swallowing quickly, she responded, "Well…we haven't seen her in a while…We miss her…"

"But there is nothing to worry about…" Nozomi smiled, looking out through the window that displayed her garden. A gentle breeze floated through the opened window and ruffled the curtains.

"Why? How do you know?" Amano asked, curiously.

"…I know Hitomi is okay…I can feel it." She continued, her eyes never leaving the window. "There was something that I saw in her eyes, before she got pulled back to that dimension again. She was so determined…so full of compassion for that man, Mr. Fanel…She wanted to go back; who was I to stop her? I told her that I wanted her to be happy…and she was. She wanted to go back…

"When she left, I felt this presence inside me…My grandmother's pendant must have connected me to her this time. Hitomi may have the gift to use it, but it still connects all of us…It had almost faded away at some times, but it's still present there…I can feel her…" Nozomi put her chopsticks down just as a stronger wind came into the room, blowing the napkins and other light objects off the table.

Amano quickly stood and shut the window, leaving just enough to have ventilation. Yukari began to retrieve the items that had been misplaced by the wind, but she kept her eyes straight ahead at the window. "I can feel my daughter…She's there…alive and well…"

Yukari looked up, tears in her eyes. "Will we ever see her again?" She had stayed silent, absorbing Hitomi's mother's tale, feeling a deep pang of loss for her friend. _I've known her since school started…and now…_She sniffed loudly. "Will Hitomi ever come back?"

Amano came to her side quickly, rubbing her shoulders, trying to keep down his own emotions. _Hitomi was very special to me…to us…Her heart led her to that place again, and she's happy…but us…what about us? I miss her already…_

Almost reading his thoughts, Yukari blurted, "I miss her! I want to see her again! I want to hear her voice: listen to one of her stupid jokes, let her lecture me on how I should be more careful……" Her dark eyes met with Nozomi's. _What am I saying? …Hitomi's her daughter…I doubt she wants to be reminded of this stuff…_ "I'm sorry…" Yukari apologized in a small voice.

Nozomi smiled lightly. "That's alright dear…I'm sure she will come back…One day…Just to see how we're all doing. I know my daughter, she always wants to have a proper goodbye…I know that she's missing us too, but we're in no position to disrupt love. I want what's best for her…and I knew that the second that pendant was given to her, that it would take her places where she would be happy…where she would find happiness…"

Amano and Yukari nodded sadly. She wiped her tears furiously, and going against all the feelings in her body, Yukari exclaimed, "If Hitomi's happy…T—Then I'm happy!" She smiled a little and tried to put as much truth as she could to her words. "Those two…wherever they are…He better take good care of her, or else!" A sad laugh came out of her mouth. "I want to see her again…"

"Don't worry, Yukari…" Amano comforted her, keeping his own feelings in check. He needed to give Yukari support during this time; she was much more fragile than he was...She neededhis words of comfort more..."She'll come back…you know that…All—All we have to do is wait…" His own voice cracked unsteadily, but he regained his composure. _You're one of our best friends, Hitomi…Please, __come back soon…even just for a little while…We'll wait for you…until then…_

Nozomi picked up her chopsticks again, bringing her eyes to the window to watch the curtains flutter again. "Yes…don't worry, Yukari...Amano……Hitomi's going to be fine…Just fine…"

—_** FIN**_

* * *

HUZZAH! 

I hope you all liked the fluffy-ness of this chapter! AND, the last line that Hitomi's mother said. "Hitomi's going to be fine…Just fine…" Sounds familiar? It should. It was the last words that Hitomi said to end the original series. I just HAD to add that in somewhere!

Well, another story has come and gone, and I'm so happy that I actually got a bandwagon of groupies! . **Storm-Maker, aan, Avelyn Lauren, Macky, The Winggoddess, esterla jem, Inda, serenityrain2233, angel 2007, Shadow Fox 777, banryuu, Pure Hope, Lilly McFadden, EternalAffliction, Blitz KriegHerr, kerry, Kowa, Mysterious Angel-05, tigger 093061, reminiscemina1215 **…(omg…there are so many of you!) I know that I say it every chapter, but you guys are amazing…and I'm ever thankful that you took the time to write a review to boost my spirits during the hard times and school and work and home. THANK YOU THANK YOU, for everything! You guys are a real inspiration! I hope I made you proud!

Anyway, before I get all teary eyed, about the ending…I wanted to keep it open, because, I like open endings. I hope it's satisfactory and to your liking. I had to put the fluff there about all that 'I love you' in that subtle way…because, come on…We all know that those two are going to have babies sooner or later. (lmfao). I hope I captured the emotion right…Such a tough time Hitomi's gonna go through…I hope I wrote enough about it to let you guys fully comprehend it...Haha, Van's inability to say the right thing was so funny to write...ahahaha...

Yeah, and about that pendant...basically, since it's not with Van OR Hitomi, it kinda shut off (that way, no one else can misuse it), but it still connects everyone. If you read the chapter when Hitomi gave it up, there's a line where I wrote something that said that the pendant suddenly lost its glow or whatever...

I really hope my characterization, dialogue and all that shiat was good. Just a funny note: the name 'Shina' is Japanese for 'virtue/good'…which is quite the contradiction. And Nozomi is Japanese for 'hope'…clearly noted.

So, my loving readers and reviewers, I'm glad you've stayed with me this far to catch the ending to my 4th fanfiction. I hope that it was good to read. (smile) My next story could possibly be a Samurai Champloo oneshot—if I ever get enough time to do it…Darn University! It's eating up my time like the Cookie Monster eats cookies!

Anyway, I tip my hat off to you all, as I ride into the sunset! (cheesy) Escaflowne will never die and maybe, one day, even _I'll _find my own Van Fanel…that way, I can write better romance material! (hahahhaha) God knows that if I find a guy like Van, I'll be getting plenty of inspiration in THAT category (lmfao!)

Well, until next time,

Keep on Truckin'  
Evil Storm Sister


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